Emmeline
by JessieBo
Summary: Emmeline Rose was a stillborn, but lived because the goddess Freyja granted Emmeline her life as she died. Now Emmeline knows everything Freyja knew, and has abilities beyond that of a normal person. Nobody believed what Emmeline said. All but one group of people, that is. This group is known as SHIELD. FULL SUMMARY INSIDE. SET DURING AND AFTER THOR/AVENGERS. LokixOC
1. Chapter 1

**Hello!**

**So this is my _very_ first story on fanfiction! Exciting, right? Anyway, I would like to preface this story by saying that I tried to follow as closely to the plot and lines of the movies _Thor_ and _The Avengers_ while still incorporating my own characters and plot progression. Hopefully it makes sense. I also am including _some_ Norse Mythology, but I'm far from an expert on it, so I apologize if I get anything wrong.**

**There also isn't much romance in this story for the beginning chapters as well, because I _love_ writing plot development**

**Lastly, I apologize for my lame title. I'm terrible at naming stories.**

**Without further ado, here is the first chapter of my story, Misunderstood_._**

**Jessie**

**_I do not own any characters or concepts, other than my original characters, and the altered plot. _****Any recognizable products and/or objects are not owned by me, nor do I claim them to be mine. I only use them in my stories.**

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**__*******STORY IS SET DURING AND AFTER THOR/THE AVENGERS*****

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**_Emmeline Rose was a stillborn, but lived because Freyja, goddess of love, beauty, fertility, sorcery war, and death, granted Emmeline her life as she died. Now Emmeline knows everything Freyja knew, and has abilities beyond that of a normal person. Nobody believed what Emmeline said. All but one group of people, that is. This group is known as SHIELD. Emmeline worked for SHIELD for five years before she quit, and now, one year later, SHIELD is calling on her again to help defend the earth from someone Freyja once knew quite well. After protecting the Earth, and matters calm again, Emmeline is being targeted by a king from another realm, and needs the help of a certain Asgardian to protect her life. After a life constantly filled with distrust and danger, how will Emmeline take to a non-hostile bond with someone known for mischief and lies?_**

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_Among many cultures, there is the concept of reincarnation. None of these concepts have ever actually been proven, though._

_Even today, there are those who believe in reincarnation. There are those who even claim to be someone reincarnated._

_I am one of them._

_On May 12th, 1992, I, Emmeline Althea Rose, came into the world. But I wasn't supposed to._

_I was a stillborn, who, ten minutes after birth, woke up. Doctors have their theories as to why this happened, but I know the truth._

_I'm the only one who knows the truth, actually. I've given up trying to tell my parents about what I've seen after they put me through the third psychiatrist._

_When I was birthed a stillborn, I was brought to Freyja, the goddess of love, beauty, fertility, sorcery war, and death. Freyja was dying from an attack by a fellow god, and she saw the love and devotion my parents had for a child. She chose me, as she described it, to be her last, living deed. She said that as her mortal reincarnation, I was going to do great things one day. Things I would have never understood as a baby._

_Because of her death, however, I never got to know what I was supposed to do._

_Despite the fact that Freyja has died, I still receive dreams from her. I constantly am woken from dreams of her past._

_Not only have I read the stories of the Norse Gods, but I have lived them as well._

_This leaves me in quite the situation, however, because an organization called SHEILD has been alerted of my existence._

_They are the only people who believe what I know, and they've agreed to keep it a secret._

_As long as I work for them._

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"Agent Howards, I find this highly ridiculous."

"Please just go along with it, Agent Rose. It's been weeks since you've actually participated in any physical training."

"Yes, that's because you hired me as an informant, not a mercenary."

"But we want you to be able to defend yourself in any case."

I begrudgingly climbed the rope, finding myself slipping multiple times. There's a reason I don't participate in physical training.

I made it to the top of the rope, and struggled slowly to climb back down.

"You know," I said to Agent Howards as I placed my feet firmly on the ground, "my fighting is 've got enough mercenaries here. Just send me inside to do some ofmy training." I was the only agent at SHEILD who had abilities that were beyond the human abilities of fighting and thinking.

When I was about 13, I realized that with my reincarnation, came abilities like mind control and sorcery.

"Yes," Agent Howards began, "but like I said, we want you to be able to defend yourself."

I grumbled silently and pushed my abilities onto Agent Howards, something I was forbid to do.

"Do you really think it's necessary for me to train out here?" I watched as Howard's mouth open to retort, but his eyes went glassy with my thoughts. Go inside, Agent Rose. You should practice your sorcery.

"Go inside, Agent Rose." Agent Howards said. "You should practice your sorcery."

I smiled and thanked him, his eyes returning to normal. I turned and left, raising my card against the doorways to get into the room I knew best.

The room had been specifically designed for me, when I entered SHIELD five years ago. It was large, had a rack of dummies, and was completely damage proof, which was highly necessary. I closed my eyes and felt my familiar staff appear in my right hand. I opened my eyes and looked down at the silver staff, which I had began constructing a year after I began working for SHIELD, and it had taken almost a year to finish it. I'd required scientists and miners to find me the largest amount of iridium they could find, and once I had it, I began manipulating it into the staff's shape. The process was then followed by finding a large piece of amber to concentrate my sorcery though.

With this process finally finished, and a lot of money put in, SHIELD wanted to see how it worked. And it worked alright. They simulated a war, and I was able to take out every person who came at me. It was quite impressive, actually. I had never thought I could work anything as well as I did sorcery.

I began training, slowly but surely, resisting the overwhelming urge to wield my staff at the person who entered the room.

"Agent Rose."

I straightened up, dropping the staff to my side. "Agent Coulson. I don't usually see you unless there's an emergency."

Agent Coulson smiled as he came into the room, admiring my handiwork. "Yes, well I'd say there's something similar to that going on."

"Oh?" I asked, worried at his words. We had finally rested in Los Angeles, as SHIELD had taken control of a case involving Mr. Tony Stark. I didn't think there would be another problem.

"Yes, well we're being relocated."

"All of us?" A large team had been set in Los Angeles.

"No. Fury's staying here to deal with Stark, but a team, including me and you, are being relocated to New Mexico. There's been a surge of power, and a satellite has crashed. We're to go investigate it."

I nodded. "Right. When are we leaving?"

"Twenty." He left the room and I followed suit, quickly heading to my room, where I quickly shoved my few belongings into a backpack, heading outside when I finished. I saw multiple vans begin loading a group of mercenaries, agents, and scientists. Clearly whatever was going on was major.

I took my place in the van of agents, listening silently to others talking about where we were going, as well as what was going on. All that I had heard was that a surge of energy fifty miles from the nearest town caused a satellite to crash, and now there were a lot of people trying to remove the satellite. Leave it to New Mexico.

The flight on the private planes was short, the flight of agents the first group to arrive. I rode in the car with several other of the main agents, realizing why I was brought when I saw the crash site.

"So do you know anything about it?" Coulson asked me after the others had arrived and the civilians were gone. Large stations had begun to be set up, seeing as the 'satellite' couldn't be removed.

I nodded at Coulson. "Yeah. It's called Mjölnir. It's Thor's hammer. Only he can lift it and weild its power."_Which must mean Thor is somewhere near._ As other agents began discussing what it was doing here, I smiled slightly at the memories I had of the hammer.

"Agent Rose." Agent Coulson's words brought me back to reality.

"Yes?"

"What do you think the reason that the hammer is here is?"

I sauntered around Mjölnir, attempting to remove, futilely. "Thor's here somewhere. I'm not quite sure why, however. Knowing him, he was most likely reckless, however. The man never could think without the word war." I looked back to the agents, who were watching me curiously. "Thor is the god of thunder. Without Mjölnir, however, he is most likely without his power. I sense he'll do his best to find it and take it 's when you need to worry. His power will be hard to subdue."

"And that's where you come in." Coulson stated, slipping off his sunglasses as we headed into the mobile home that had been updated with SHIELD's latest equipment. "If thisThor guy comes, we need you to intervene, okay?"

"You swore who I was would be kept a secret to those who were a part of SHIELD, Agent Coulson. Thor is far more of a god than I am, and if he becomes aware that Freyja was in me, he would want to take me back to Asgard. I'm too human to go there."

"Agent Rose, you were brought to New Mexico for this purpose, and-"

"My purpose," I interrupted Coulson, "is to act as your informant. If it comes to the matter of fighting Thor, I will do so, but I will not act unless I am the last resort." I left the building and climbed up to the top of the tall structure surrounding Mjölnir, surveying the dry landscape.

It was only a matter of time until Thor came.


	2. Chapter 2

**I'll be updating this story every time I finish a chappie, so updating may not be that regular, but I'll do my best to update frequently.**

**Also, thank you SO MUCH for everyone who has already added me to their author/story alerts and favorites. I'm AMAZED by the amount of feedback I've already gotten.**

**And ShinobiTwin05, thank you for the warning. If I recall correctly, lemon scenes are considered sex scenes, right? If so, then hopefully my story won't be deleted, considering I don't plan on writing explicit sex scenes. And if my story is deleted wrongfully, I'll just upload it again.**

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It was dusk when I heard a storm approaching.

Agent Coulson looked over at me, silently asking if Thor was here. Before I needed to answer, the energy coming from Mjölnir began to spike, the weather becoming more severe.

"We've got something outside the fence. West side." The man's words alerted Coulson, as well as I, both of us looking at each other.

"He's here." Coulson's and my exchange barely lasted before we heard the security alarm go off, the rain beginning to fall.

We both quickly moved out from the mobile home and high into the plastic structure, Thor's shadow visible against the white plastic as he fought off some of our strongest mercenaries.

Before Coulson could speak, I did. "I told you I'm your last resort. He would have already called Mjölnir if he was at full ability. I'm standing down for now."

Coulson gave me a fleeting glance before lifting his walkie talkie to his mouth. "We need eyes up high. With a gun."

I trusted his judgement as he left the structure, heading back to the mobile home. I stayed in the structure and watched as agent Barton swung high into the air, pulling his bow and pointing it at Thor as he ran through the structure, closer and closer to Mjölnir.

Barton didn't release the arrow though, clearly waiting for Coulson's call, who, from his answers through the walkie talkie, wanted to see this. I lost sight of Thor as he made it closer to Mjölnir, though I quickly saw as he and our best mercenary, Dean, fall out of the back of the structure. I lost sight of who was who as they fought in the mud, but I quickly made my way through the tunnels and to the third floor of the center of the structure, above the hammer, when I saw Thor kick down Dean.

Barton's voice rang through on the walkie talkie again, Coulson keeping him from firing. Couldson was as curious as I.

If Thor was fully capable, he would have called Mjölnir to him without fighting. Perhaps he had lost his powers and Mjölnir was no longer his.

Part of the plastic covering was torn away as Thor entered the area, looking the same as I had always seen him, albeit more human in his jeans and t-shirt. The rain and mud wasn't helping his regalness either.

He smiled grandly as he tiredly made his way to Mjölnir, placing his right hand around it's handle, pulling. I watched his face darken as the hammer stayed still, despite his double handed grasp and obvious struggling. After trying for some time, he roared loudly, collapsing. I could feel the disappointment emanate off of him.

"Alright, show's over. Ground units, move in." Coulson's voice rose from the walkie talkie, a group of several agents surrounding Thor, handcuffing him, and taking him away from Mjölnir. "You're luckly, Agent Rose."

I ignored Coulson's final words, choosing instead to head back to the mobile home, where I saw Thor get placed into a room alone. A few mercenaries that hadn't been taken out by Thor surrounded the door, though I could tell he had no intention of leaving. He was far too distraught to try anything.

I saw Coulson head into the room, beginning to question Thor. I was surprised by the questions he was asking, however. They were all centered around the concept that he had no clue who Thor was. He continually asked him where he was trained, and who he was, Thor never answering. What was he doing?

I pulled out my pager and beeped Coulson's, him noticing, and leaving Thor.

He came out and came up to me. "What did you need?"

"What the hell is going on in there?" I asked him, seriously concerned with his line of questioning.

"I'm treating him like any other man we would've caught doing what we did."

"Yes, but I told you who he is. You don't need to be asking those kinds of questions. Ask him why he's here. Ask him why-"

Agent Coulson cut me off. "You saw what I saw, Agent Rose. That man, despite the fact of what you say, was not able to even budge the hammer. My primary concern is to see if he'll answer any questions before I attack him with anything related to who he actually is."

I was silent. My ranking was far below Coulson's, and he clearly knew what he wanted to do.

Agent Coulson turned back around and headed back to the room to continue his questioning. I watched him leave, and saw another familiar face before Coulson made it back to the room.

Loki.

I shot out of my chair as Loki's projection disappeared from the room, Coulson reentering. If there was anywhere Loki would be scrying now, it would be at Mjölnir.

I quickly made my way, back into the structure, standing a floor above Mjölnir, where I saw Loki, invisible to all others, placing his hand around the hammer. I watched as he struggled, just as Thor had. He was never the true owner of Mjölnir.

I let a quick laugh escape my mouth as Loki frowned, removing his hands from the hammer. Bad idea.

I saw him glance around for the source of the laughter, his eyes quickly resting on mine. No normal person was able to see him, and the fact that I had was abnormal enough, and he knew it.

I quickly turned away from the pit, squeezing my eyes shut in an attempt to ward off Loki.

"So this is what came to be when Freyja died."

My eyes shot open and I saw Loki in front of my, his arms crossed, casually leaning against the opposing wall.

"I apologize. Did I frighten you?" He smirked as he saw worry flicker across my face. He stood up to his full height, towering over me quite a bit as he sauntered forward. "I think it quite possible that Freyja left some of her powers out when you were formed. You aren't nearly the enchantress she was. What other powers are you missing?" He lifted a lock of my golden hair, glancing from it, back to me.

"I know I can't hurt your projection, Loki." I spoke for the first time, Loki looking amused. "And I don't want to. Whatever game you're playing right now is not who you are, so just stop it."

His eyebrows raised. "Oh? So you know of me. Tell me, oh wise one, who I am."

"How about you tell me why Thor is on Midgard. Or why he can't lift Mjölnir." A bit of an exchange of information could perhaps do the trick. Then I could get the answers Coulson certainly wasn't getting.

Loki's smirk faded at my words. "That is not my answer to give."

"And do you think I'm just going to walk up to Thor and ask him myself what he's doing here?"

"Why would you not?"

I struggled to form an answer. I didn't want him to know anything further about me. "That is something I don't feel the need to share with you. We are, after all, strangers."

His smirk returned. "I can supply you the answer of Thor's appearance if you do something in exchange."

Considering he was the god of mischief, I was cautious. "Depending on your request. What is it you want in exchange?"

"Freyja was forever on good terms with my father. He has fallen into the Odin sleep, and I require-"

I cut him off. "If the All-father has fallen into the Odin sleep, and Thor is here, what does that make you, Loki?" Both of us knew the answer. Loki was now the King of Asgard. "So what do you need from me? You're king, and I'm certainly not Freyja. You said it yourself. And it's not like you and Freyja had the best relationship at times." What with you calling her a slut on multiple occasions. "So why should I help you? Just tell me what I need to know."

His smirk slowly turned into a sneer. I clearly knew more than he liked. "Don't expect an answer from me, mortal. I no longer require your assistance, so why would I supply you with your answers?"

Before I could retort, Loki disappeared, leaving me with nothing new, except that Odin was in the Odin sleep, but that didn't help me.

I left the structure, shaken by the encounter. My first official meeting with a god, and it was the god of mischief. He clearly was up to something no good, and I think it helped him greatly that Thor was stuck here.

I headed downstairs and talked with some agents briefly before I saw Thor and an older man leaving, Coulson standing in the doorway behind them. Thor silently glanced around, making sure no one was watching, when I saw him pick up a book out of the stack of data that had been borrowed from an astrophysicist.

He and the man left, and I counted my blessings that I didn't have to have two encounters with the gods tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

**Again, random update days. Not sure if I'll ever put a standard upload day in place.**

**And again, THANK YOU for all of those who have added me to alerts and favorites. I'm seriously surprised, because every time I check me email, I've got like, 5 new people who have added me. So thank you for that.**

**And starsaboveus, I remember you! I'm not sure what you've reviewed on (forgive my terrible memory), but I recognize your username. I'm glad you're enjoying this story as well.**

******But please ignore me and read now, okay?**

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"What's going on, Agent Rose? You haven't been able to give us much information in regards to what has been happening."

I sneered at Coulson's words. Of all people, he should know better. "Agent Coulson, I have given you every single bit of information I have that pertains to this situation. As I've stated, Thor must have traveled here by means of the bifrost, which must mean it's somewhere near here. I do not know why he is here, however. Perhaps if while he was in our possession, he was asked as to why he was here-"

"That's enough, Agent Rose. I don't need lip from you."

"I'm sorry. I was out of line." No I wasn't. I was the expert on this situation, and Coulson had disregarded that, and chose to approach this his way.

Coulson acknowledged my words, leaving the room, when one of the computers went beserk.

I saw what appeared to be a tornado touch to the ground, then vanish.

"What the hell was that?" Coulson asked the man, who went onto describe the pattern, fifteen miles northwest of where we were.

"It's the bifrost." I stated simply, Coulson looking back at me. "I would know it anywhere."

Coulson seemed to have trusted me a bit more again. "Let's go take a look." A large group of men headed out to their cars, Coulson looking back at me. "That includes you, Agent Rose."

I nodded and stood up, heading to Coulson's car, silent as we drove to the site.

"Base, we've got Xena, Jackie Chan, and Robbin Hood." The walkie talkie buzzed on Coulson's belt, Coulson looking to me.

I took the walkie talkie from him. "Have you got Paul Bunyan, too?" I said, trying to think of a way to describe Volstagg.

"Roger that."

I guess it was a good description. "It's Lady Sif and the Warriors Three." I said to Coulson, who was silent in return.

We stopped along with the other cars, Coulson getting out and bending down to the ground, where a large circle with intricate patterns had formed. There was no doubt that this was the bifrost.

"Get somebody from linguistics down here."

I intercepted before the man could take Coulson's orders. "Why do you need someone from linguistics? You have me. This is what I'm here for. This is the bifrost. This is how Thor, Sif, Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandrall got here. Heimdall is listening as we speak."

The winds picked up, and dark clouds formed, signaling somebody was about land.

"Everyone, back up!" I yelled loudly, every agent moving quickly behind the cars.

The dust settled and a large, black, metal man emerged, standing at least ten feet tall.

"Is that one of Starks?"

I ignored the man's words, Coulson choosing to respond. I knew this beast. Why did I know this beast?

Coulson began speaking through a megaphone, me realizing a moment too late why I knew this beast.

"Run!" I screamed as loud as I could, the Destroyer raising its breath to shoot fire.

People ran in every direction, the Destroyer taking out several cars. Coulson gave me a look that said it was time for me to take over, and I nodded, my staff appearing in my hand.

I came out from behind the car and twirled the staff once before raising it over my head and firing at the Destroyer. It dodged the attacks and instead turned, heading toward the city. I turned and saw Coulson grab two men and put them in the car, gesturing to me too.We were going to follow it.

I climbed into the car and we made our way toward the city, spotting something fly through the sky toward the town.

"It's Mjölnir." I stated, knowing it was flying to Thor. "Thor is fine now. We'll be alright."

Coulson nodded and continued to drive, us arriving on the outskirts of the town as the Destroyer was completely flattened.

Thor was back in his cape and armor, speaking with the astrophysicist.

Agent Coulson got out of the car first, rushing up to Thor. I followed slowly, listening to their exchange. Coulson clung to the exchange they had previously had, Thor stating he was an ally of earth's. I slowed to a stop when I heard this, knowing I wouldn't need to fight. Before Coulson could debrief him on the little information we had, Thor grabbed the astrophysicist, who seemed to enjoy it immensely, and headed back to the bifrost site.

I walked up to Coulson, who was high disappointed looking. "He knows what to do. Heimdall with bring him back up and he'll be able to handle the situation in Asgard, whatever it may be." Whatever Loki was planning was bad enough that he had tried to destroy the entire town, including his brother.

"You better be right, Agent Rose."

I smirked at his words. "Despite the fact that you rarely listen to me, I've been right the whole time. Just trust me for once."

"I believe I have misunderstood." Glancing to those remaining in the area, I saw Sif, who looked at me curiously as she spoke. "What are you to know of Asgard?"

"Well cat's out of the bag." I said to Coulson, stepping forward to speak to Sif. "My name's Emmeline Rose. I'm the reincarnation of-"

"Lady Freyja." Glancing over Sif's shoulder, I saw the Warriors Three fall to one knee and place their right hands over their hearts. Sif looked back at the men, then to me again, doing the same as the others.

I put my hands out, shaking them furiously. "You guys don't have to bow. Really. I'm not nearly the gods you are."

The four stood up and nodded, Sif taking the lead once again. "We need to get to the bifrost. Thor will need help."

I backed up and let them lead the way, refusing to involve myself in such matters.

Sif turned back to me. "Are you not coming?"

I shook my head. "I'm too human. Feel free to contact me any time, though."

Sif smiled gently and nodded, following the rest of her group to a van, where they took off toward the bifrost site.

"It'll be alright." I said to Agent Coulson. "Things will be resolved. For now, however, I think we need to focus on damage control." I glanced back over the town, which was completely destroyed.

"I'm sorry I doubted you." Coulson stated as we made our way back to the car. "You were here for a reason, and I refused to acknowledge it. I apologize."

I shook my head, relaxing as we got in the car. "It couldn't be helped, Agent Coulson. No matter who I'm talking to, what I am will never be fully understood. I don't expect you to believe what I say. But I think I'll be turning in my resignation."

Coulson was silent. He could tell I was serious. It was the truth, however. Somebody like me didn't belong in a human organization. But I didn't really belong in a god's world, either.

So I guessed it was time for me to find out what Freyja meant when she said I was destined for great things.

* * *

"The years have been quite good, Agent Coulson. Thank you for the opportunity."

"I still wish you would reconsider your resignation. We need you on our team."

I shook my head. "I'm agraid not, Agent five years have only solidified in my mind that I'm not meant for these kind of situations. I know, however, that SHIELD will continue to track me, and if I must be called to action by SHIELD, I will participate in whatever it is you need. But please give me at least a year to discover what I'm meant to do."

Coulson nodded and shook hands with me before I turned and left the room, dropping off all of my SHIELD equipment with the man at the front.

I was done with this place. Now it was my time to find out what I was supposed to do with my life. And I don't think it could have felt any better.


	4. Chapter 4

**I can't stop writing! So I'm putting up another chapter now.**

**And curses, Strange Laughter! You knew my secret! Which isn't a secret anymore, I guess.**

**I'm writing few chappies ahead of this one, and I'm realizing there is a buttload of plot progression and no romance, so I'm sorry for those who are here to read some fluff and other lovey dovey-ness. Please forgive me. **

**Last thing. I easily wrote the beginning chappies with dialogue because I own Thor, so I could just go off of that, but since the Avengers is still in theaters, I couldn't watch it again for quotes. This left me to scour the internet for scripts, scenes, or anything legal to get the info. So I've been able to piece together the dialogue pretty well, but I apologize in advance for anything that's wrong.**

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1 year later

I steadily made my way down the mountain's side, beyond beat. A few frost giants had made their way from Jötunheimr to the mountains of Jotunheimen in Norway. Little did they know that I was waiting for them to escort them back. Though they didn't seem to want to go home, so I had to do away with them.

In the year I had spent outside of SHIELD, I had learned how to locate presences on earth from the other eight realms, only a few having caused issues over the past year. All were taken care of promptly. I had also tried to master scrying, which hadn't gone very well. Though it was better than I had expected. I was able to scry nearly everywhere on earth I had tried, but I couldn't go inter-realm.

I jumped the last bit of the mountain, heading to my car and driving to the motel. Nothing sounded better than a long bath and some scrying on SHIELD. I knew they had recently brought up some Avengers Initiative plan, but I had no idea what it entailed. I only cared for the reason that I had seen my name on the list of potential members. I had told Agent Coulson a year ago that I would help SHIELD if they needed me, but from what I could tell, the world was fairly at peace. As far as world peace can go, that is.

I parked in the parking lot and got out, recognizing a fair amount of black cars in the lot. So they took my one year mark literally, eh?

I ignored the cars and headed up to the second floor of the motel, making it most of the way down the hall before I saw a few men in suits standing near my room. The men ignored me as I went up to my room, entering the dark area.

I flipped on the switch and saw none other than Nick Fury sitting at the small desk in the corner of the room.

"Mr. Fury." I spoke slowly, incredibly tired. "What a surprise to see you here."

He stood up and smiled. "It's nice to see you again too, Agent Rose."

I put my hand up. "I'm no longer an agent. Emmeline will do."

He nodded and pulled something out of his briefcase. "Right Emmeline. Well I'd like to inform you of some new information we have at SHIELD."

"If it has to do with the Avengers Initiative, I already know about it." I shed my thick leather coat, noting that I'd need to buy a new one soon. That last frost giant had gotten a few good swings at me and had torn through the leather in several places.

"Alright. How much do you know about it?"

I headed into the small bathroom, wetting a washcloth and cleaning the several cuts I had on my face and arms. "I know you're setting up a team, though I'm not quite sure what for. I was going to figure it out tonight, but since you're already here, why don't you just tell me?"

"The Avengers Initiative is a team of extraordinary people that SHIELD has been putting together. The team is composed of those who can do what us normal humans can't."

"Like protect the world from a potential disaster?" I asked, resting the warm washcloth against the base of my neck.

"Exactly like that. This team, as I'm sure you already know, includes you."

"Why don't you just get Thor?" I left the bathroom. "He's far more of a god than I am, and knows as much as I do about inter-realm issues."

"Because it's impossible to contact Thor. He hasn't returned to earth since his disappearance a year ago."

"So you need me as a replacement?"

"Not a replacement, Emmeline. As a member of the team. SHIELD has stayed out of contact with you for a year, as we promised, and now we need you again."

"And why is that?" I didn't mean to argue with Fury, but I didn't want to head back to SHIELD. I liked working solo.

Fury paused, as if pondering whether to tell me or not.

"Recently, there was a disturbance with the tesseract."

I froze. "What kind of disturbance?"

"The tesseract was giving off major signals, and soon after-"

"Somebody appeared from the other side of the portal, didn't they?"

Fury nodded. "This is why we need you, Emmeline."

I sighed and placed my hand out to take the file from him. He handed it to me immediately. "I promised you I would come back if SHIELD needed me. Tonight, however, I am very tired from working. I will read over these files, and send a plane for me in the morning. 0700 hours."

Fury nodded. "Right. Thank you, Emmeline. It will be good to have you back." He stood up and I shook his hand, him leaving the hotel room.

I sat down on the bed and switched on the bedside lamp, knowing I would be up most of the night reading the files.

Guess there's no bath for me tonight.

I struggled to pull my body onto the plane that SHIELD had sent for me, having not slept the past night. I settled into one of the seats, listening silently as a SHIELD agent gave me a debriefing of what would happen when I got to New York. He said we would be arriving around 5:00 Am, and that I was to meet the fellow Avengers members, who I had learned were Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, and Clint Barton. At least I'd have those last two as familiar faces. I had briefly met Agent Romanoff once during the Iron Man fiasco, and I had worked with Agent Barton on multiple occasions.

By the time the man finished debriefing me, there were seven hours until we landed in New York, and I took all of those seven hours to catch up on my sleep.

We landed in New York just after 5:00 Am, me fully awake, albeit sore. It's reasons like this I didn't want to involve myself in god's wars.

I saw a SHIELD agent at the base of the plane as I got off, walking up to him.

"Good to see you again, Agent Rose." He put his hand out and I shook it.

"Likewise." We got into a different, hybrid plane of sorts, and flew to SHIELD's base in the ocean, which looked a lot like a standard aircraft carrier, except it could fly. We landed and I stepped off, immediately recognizing several agents.

I spotted another plane land, Agent Coulson and who I recognized as Steve Rogers stepping out. I made my way over to the duo, seeing Agent Romanoff doing the same. She arrived shortly before me, speaking to Agent Coulson, who promptly left.

I walked up to the two that were left, Agent Romanoff seeing me first.

"It has been quite some time since I last saw you." She shook my hand, as removed as ever.

"Yes, well, it felt far shorter than it was." I turned my attention to Rogers. "You must be Captain Rogers, right?"

He stuttered a moment before nodding, shaking my outstretched hand. "It's very nice to meet you, Agent Rose."

"Please, call me Emmeline. That Agent stuff ended a year ago."

He smiled. "Right, well then, Emmeline. It's nice to meet you."

There was some commotion, and we turned to see Bruce Banner, looking highly confused.

"Dr. Banner." Rogers went up to Banner, shaking his hand.

"Oh yeah, hi. They told me you'd be coming." The two enthusiastically shook hands, talking about the cube.

I turned to Agent Romanoff. "So where's the rest of the team?" I eyed her gun on her thigh, realizing I should probably update some of my weaponry.

"Stark is a hard case to crack and hasn't agreed to anything yet. Agent Barton is another story, however."

I had known Romanoff and Barton were close, but the look in Agent Romanoff's eyes told me something was off. "What happened to Agent Barton?"

She folded her arms. "He was possessed. Along with several other agents, and Dr. Selvig."

Dr. Selvig? I remembered him from the Thor case last year.

It dawned on me what happened. "It was Loki, wasn't it?"

Agent Romanoff nodded. "He took the tesseract as well as several mercenaries and scientists. We don't know what he's planning yet."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Clearly Thor hadn't done his job thoroughly. "Right, well I'll do my best to help."

Agent Romanoff nodded, the two men turning their attention back to us.

"Oh, sorry." Banner said, putting a nervous hand out toward me. "I'm Bruce Banner."

I nodded, shaking his hand. "Emmeline Rose. It's nice to meet you." I saw Agent Romanoff speaking through her earpiece, realizing we were going to take off soon.

"Gentlemen, you might want to step inside in a minute. It's going to get a little hard to breathe."

The two speculated what her words meant before they saw the propellers come up out of the water, launching us into the air.

The three of us followed Romanoff inside, both Banner and Rogers amazed by the equipment and crew. I knew it well enough, however.

Fury stood at the center of the room, ordering around people until the carrier was completely masked to all those who could see it form outside.

He turned to face us. "Gentlemen. And lady." Fury nodded his head toward me. I held in my laughter as Rogers handed him a ten dollar bill, Fury just silently accepting it. He greeted Banner, the two discussing the tesseract in a way I didn't understand, Agent Romanoff leading Banner out of the room, Fury going off in another direction.

I stood alone with Rogers until I spotted a familiar face.

"Agent Coulson."


	5. Chapter 5

"It's been far too long, Agent Rose."

I shook Agent Coulson's hand. "That depends on your definition of 'too long.' And I'm no longer an agent. Just Emmeline."

Coulson nodded, turning to Rogers. I saw Coulson visibly swoon. Coulson clearly wanted to be alone with Rogers, so I made my way through the computers, watching as face matching software was run through the computers.

"We got a hit." The voice came not too far from where I was standing, so I walked over. "67% match. Wait, cross match, 79% match."

Agent Coulson glanced over at me. Just like old times.

I nodded. "That's him."

"Stuttgart, Germany." The man continued, giving the details.

"Captain." Fury said loudly, Rogers looking at him. "You're up."

Rogers nodded and I spoke up.

"I'm coming, too." I stated, Fury giving me a look. "You brought me here for a reason, and this involves someone I know very well. Don't you think it's wise to send me?"

"You never were very strong, Emmeline. That's why you were an informant."

I ignored Coulson's words, continuing to speak to Fury. "I took out three frost giants yesterday. By myself. You give me a gun, and I'll bring my staff. We'll be set."

Fury reluctantly agreed, sending me to get geared up. Rogers and I followed an agent silently.

"So what makes you involved in this?" Rogers asked me, seemingly curious. "I read your file. You're not a mercenary."

"Yes, but that file isn't completely accurate. I keep secrets that only SHIElD agents know, and since you're one of them. I might as well tell you. I'm a reincarnation of a god that knew the man we're going up against tonight."

He let a laugh escape his mouth. "I'm sorry, but I find that hard to believe." That wasn't knew.

"Most people don't. But you asked, and now you know." We parted and I grabbed the suit that was prepared for me off of the hangers, pulling on the leather pants, thick shirt, and leather jacket, a pair of leather boots being added as well. Could you tell leather stood up well in fights?

I slid a few SHIELD weapons into my laced boots, and I fastened on an upper leg holster, slipping a colt .45 in it.

I finished by pulling my long hair into a ponytail, stepping out to meet Rogers before we boarded a plane, flown by Agent Romanoff. We quickly took off, silently flying before I spoke.

"Captain Rogers, Loki is a man of mischief. He will do whatever it takes to take you down. He also can create clones of himself, so beware as to who you're fighting."

He seemed surprised by my words. "I thought you came along to fight."

"You knew I was never a mercenary, which is why I will intervene if it's necessary. I believe in your abilities, Captain Rogers, but Loki is something outside of this world. You may need me, and then I'll help."

He nodded, very much like a soldier, preparing to take on Loki. The back of the plane opened right as we were reaching the building, Loki outside surrounding a crowd. Captain Rogers jumped out quickly, fending off an attack of Loki's before it killed an old man.

I watched silently with Agent Romanoff, who commented on the situation.

I stood at the open back end of the plane, ready to jump out if necessary. Before it came to that, however, a loud rock song came through the radio.

"Agent Romanoff. You miss me?" Stark's voice came through the radio, allowing me to relax a little. Perhaps everything would go alright after all.

I continued to watch as Stark shot out a beam of some kind, hitting Loki square in the chest. He fell to the ground, Stark pulling out an endless number of weapons, and pointing them at Loki, who raised his hands in surrender.

The plane landed softly, and I materialized my staff, stepping out of the back of the plane.

I approached the situation, Stark's mask sliding off. Loki smirked as he saw me approaching. Rogers and Stark turned and saw me, Stark doing a double take.

"Okay, who's this? Is she on our team? Because she's got one of those stick thingies, and she and Rudolph just shared some kind of look." I stopped walking when I was in line with Rogers and Stark, who continued to ramble. "Hey doll, you on our team? Because you should really be on our team. We need someone like you on our team." Clearly I had grown into Freyja's beauty.

I cut him off. "Emmeline Rose, retired SHIELD agent and expert informant." I stuck out my hand, which Stark gladly shook, the metal glove feeling odd against bare skin.

"Tony Stark, at your service. Say, why'd you retire from SHIELD? Did Fury get to you? I never much liked him myself. I'm more of a solo player."

"Which is why you're here, right?" I retorted, tired of his voice already. "Captain, get Loki onto the ship." Rogers nodded and pulled Loki into a standing position, steering him toward the ship. We all boarded, Stark continuing to hound me with questions the whole way.

It was quiet on the flight back, Loki curiously watching me the whole time.

"Is he saying anything?" Fury's voice buzzed through the radio.

"Not a word," Romanoff replied, clearly agitated. If they thought Loki was just going to give up his plan, they were far from right.

"Just get him here. We're low on time."

I listened silently as Rogers and Stark bantered a bit, the weather taking a turn for the worse. I heard thunder, Loki and I glancing at each other. Thor was here.

"What's the matter?" Rogers asked Loki, who was getting tense. "Scared of a little lightning?"

"I'm not overly fond of what follows." Loki replied cooly, continuing to look around.

I stood up, my back to Loki, and faced Rogers and Stark. "It's Thor." I stated.

As if on cue, the plane shook, something hitting the top of it. Stark glanced back at me, then put on his helmet, opening the back of the plane.

"What're you doing?" Rogers called loudly, going silent as Thor stepped into the back of the plane.

Stark went to take a shot at Thor, who threw his hammer at Stark, knocking him flat. Thor grabbed Loki by the neck, who struggled, both falling out of the back of the plane.

"And now there's that guy." Stark said tiredly.

"Another Asgardian?" Romanoff struggled to ask while flying the now open plane.

I nodded. "Thor is Loki's brother."

"Is that guy friendly?" Rogers asked, out of breath.

"He deemed himself an ally of the earth last year. But he just took our culprit, so I wouldn't say he's good in the books right now." My words went almost unheard.

"It doesn't matter. If he frees Loki, or kills him, the tesseract is lost." Stark turned to leave.

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" Rogers called angrily.

Stark glanced over his shoulder. "I have a plan. Attack." He shot out of the back of the plane, Rogers looking around for something. He found a parachute, pulling it on.

"Take me with you, Captain." I stood in front of him before he could jump. "Drop me off with Loki, and then you can go help Stark." He begrudgingly nodded, and I grabbed the front panels of the parachute, clinging for dear life as he jumped out of the plane.

"Do you think you can take him?" Rogers called over the wind.

"I'm not the best fighter, but he's unequipped! I can handle him until you two finish!" I watched as Rogers nodded, opening the parachute maybe 200 feet from the ground. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, waiting for an impact that never came. Rogers had managed to safely land, unbeknownst to me. He stood up and I released my hands from the parachute, Rogers removing it.

I glanced around and saw Loki sitting on the edge of the cliff we were on, watching Thor and Stark fight.

Rogers glanced from Loki to me. "You're alright?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Go handle those two." I gestured to Stark and Thor, who were fighting aggressively. Rogers nodded and jumped from branch to branch, leaving me with Loki, who stood up.

"So we meet again, don't we?"


	6. Chapter 6

**I seriously can't stop updating. But I'll preface this chappie with saying that any Norse Mythology is true. Aka what is toward the end of this chappie is actually written in Norse Mythology.**

**And as for Almighty Caligula, yes 'tis sorcery that allows Emmeline's staff to be materialized and disappear. I figured it'd be way easier for that to happen, than to have to have Emmeline constantly carry around a huge staff all the time. Because then she would look silly.**

* * *

"Hello, Loki. It's been a while."

Loki smiled, walking toward me. "Perhaps for you."

"You've been scrying." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

He slightly laughed. "I have seen you attempting to as well. Futilely, I might add."

"You've had far more years than me to practice, Loki. You also are a full fledged god. Forgive me for not being up to your levels." We formed a small circle, neither of us stopping as we paced.

"Though you did not seem to have any problem handling those frost giants the other day, did you?" How much had he been scrying?

"Then you must have seen me give them the chance to head home. I only kill what's defiant." I directed the words at him.

His smile turned sickly. "Surely you do not intend for those words to be meant for me, do you?"

"Boy, you sure are smart. This isn't the Loki I know. I said that a year ago, and the words have become even more true today. Go back to being the god of mischief, deceit, and lies. You're not meant to harm all of these people."

Any trace of a smile was wiped clean from his face. "For a mere mortal, you seem to speak quite grandly. Are you aware of what occurred after Thor returned from Midgard?"

"Not in the slightest."

He got a bitter smile on his face. "I intended to kill the frost giants to please my father, but Thor came back and acted as though he was a new man. He broke the bifrost and in the process, we were falling, but his father-"

"Both of yours' father."

"That is a different matter. Like I stated, his father caught Thor's leg, and Thor held me up by my sceptre. Odin did not appreciate my work, and I fell. Into a world like no other, where I learned things about the tesseract that you could never imagine."

"Help me imagine it then, Loki."

"I would never share such secrets with a mortal like you." He spat angrily, coming at me. I formed my staff into my hand, placing the sharpened edge against Loki's chest.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I warned dangerously. "See, the last time we spoke, you were only a projection. Now, you're here. And you're without any defense. You're at mydisposition."

He smiled darkly, wrapping his hands around the end of the staff. "I have no intention of attacking you."

"What is this?" I brought my attention from Loki to Thor, who landed softly on the edge of the cliff, Stark and Rogers following shortly.

Loki straightened, taking his hand off of the staff, backing up a few feet.

"Dearest brother," Loki spat, "perhaps you recognize this mortal."

Thor's eyes traveled to me, giving me an overall glance before realizing who I was. He bowed and placed his hand over his heart, much like every other Asgardian I'd met. Well,almost every.

"It's not necessary, Thor. Really." And it made me really uncomfortable.

Thor stood, nodding. "It is good to see Freyja's abilities did not go wasted when she passed."

I nodded, pulling the staff away from Loki and letting it disappear. "Yeah, well we should probably get going. Fury's going to throw a fit if we don't get Loki to HQ soon."

Stark and Rogers nodded, both seemingly left out of the conversation. Stark radioed Romanoff, who landed nearby, and the group of us got in. The plane was in the sky again, Romanoff covering with Fury.

"So what was all that about, doll?" Stark turned to me, pulling off his helmet.

I internally groaned, getting sick of explaining this. "This is why I disappeared a year ago," I grumbled to myself, looking up at Stark. "Reincarnation." I pointed at myself. "Goddess of love, beauty, fertility, sorcery war, and death. Also known as Freyja. She was good old friends with those two." I jerked my hand toward the brothers who sat silently. "I know everything she knew. That's what makes me super helpful in this case."

Stark nodded. "So beauty, eh? You seemed to have that one covered."

"Smooth." I stated dryly. "Fertility too, if you want to consider my birth. Sorcery, not a goddess. Far from it. As for love and death, I might as well drop those two off the title."

"I have the feeling I have seen you before." Thor spoke slowly, almost as if I wouldn't understand.

"Perhaps a year ago? Who do you think is the reason things went so smoothly for you with SHIELD?"

Realization dawned on his face. "You worked with son of Coul."

I nodded. "Yep. That's me. That was my last case with SHIELD, though. I got sick of no one believing what I said. Despite my answers, Coulson pretended not to know who you were."

Thor's face spread into a grin. "Son of Coul knew? I would have never known."

I continued the conversation, intrigued by the case I never had real closure on. "So why were you on Midgard back then?"

His face darkened slightly. "My father banished me for causing war with the jötunns. There was some conflict in my return."

"Yeah yeah, I heard about that already." I waved off his answer, wanting to know more. "Why didn't Mjölnir respond to you? It clearly did when you were fighting the Destroyer." I turned to Loki for a moment. "Hey thanks for sending the Destroyer to demolish that town in New Mexico. Really thoughtful." Loki sneered and I turned my attention back to Thor. "So what happened with Mjölnir?"

"Father stripped me of my rankings, so Mjölnir no longer belonged to me."

I nodded. It made sense. I began laughing at the funniest memory I had of Mjölnir.

"Remember that time Þrymr stole Mjölnir?"

Thor clearly didn't like my sense of humor. "That story must be told to no one."

"No, no, wait. I think I want to hear this one." Stark piped up, smirking. "Continue."

I turned my body to face Stark. "Okay, so Þrymr is the king of jotnar, and he stole Thor's hammer. Feyja loaned Loki her feather coat so he could travel to Jötunheimr to get Mjölnir back." Stark looked shocked.

"You mean to say this Frayed chick and Loki are pals?"

I rolled my eyes. "Relax. Loki's not usually such a bad guy. But let me get back to the story. So Loki goes to Jötunheimr, and Þrymr tells him he hid the hammer, and the only way Thor could have it back was if Freyja married him. But when Loki returned and Freyja heard, she threw a fit. Her Brísingamen, which was a necklace, broke off of her neck, and she refused to go, so Thor had to-"

I felt a hand cover my mouth roughly.

"That is quite enough." Thor clearly didn't like this story.

"No, keep going, doll." Stark's words entertained me, so I continued.

"As I was saying, Thor took Freyja's necklace, and dressed in a wedding veil and dress, and wore the Brísingamen to go get his hammer back!"

Stark looked at Thor, smiling. "Well I never thought you were a cross dresser."

Thor groaned. "I did not do it by choice. And to this day, I believe Loki tranced me into doing it."

"Please." Loki spoke for the first time on the plane. "You were aware Mjölnir would change its master if you did not get it back. You should thank me."

"Oh last thing." I stated, Stark looking at me, clearly amused. "Loki had to dress as Thor's maiden."

Stark got a good laugh at that, Loki putting his head in his hands.

"This is rich!" Stark said. "You better have more stories like that, doll."

I smiled. "Ableit none that entertaining, but I've got a god's lifetime full of memories. See why I'm such a good informant?"

Stark nodded, clearly appreciating my existence more now.

"We're here." Agent Romanoff spoke for the first time, settling the plane on the aircraft. We all stood up, Thor taking a grasp on Loki's arms as we got off of the plane. Loki was quickly apprehended, Fury meeting us and spotting Thor.

"Group meeting." He eyed Thor. "Now."


	7. Chapter 7

**I realize I'm updating this chappie like, maybe 9 hours after the last one, but that's because I'm pumped on writing.**

**Anyway, I would like to mention to all y'all that I _do_ love reading your reviews. I'm not the kind of writer that'll hold out on updating if I don't have a certain number of reviews, or it'll make or break the story, but I _really_ like reading what you guys think. It gives me feedback that lets me know how the story is going. **

**So if you think I'm not interested in reading what you have to say, that's false! I even take anonymous reviews, so if you don't have an account, oh well! And if you have something negative to say, no problem! Though if you do say something negative, I'd prefer it be at least a bit constructive, because I actually consider what you guys say.**

* * *

All of us gathered in the main room of the carrier, watching the video feed from where Fury had taken Loki. The two spoke of the power of the tesseract, and Loki's plan to take over earth. The feed ended after Loki spoke ill of Banner, everyone glancing around.

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Banner said jokingly.

"Loki's going to drag this out." Rogers stated, going into military mode. "So, Thor, what's his play?"

"He has an army called the Chitauri. But they're not of Asgard, not of any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. In return, I suspect, for the tesseract."

"An army." Rogers stated. "From outer space." Even hearing it myself, it sounded ludicrous.

"So he's building another portal." Banner said, taking off his glasses. "That's what he needs Eric Selvig for."

"Selvig?" Thor stated, clearly upset.

"He's an astrophysicist."

"He's a friend."

"Loki has them under some kind of spell. Along with one of ours." Romanoff spoke, clearly concerned for Barton.

"I want to know why Loki let us take him." Rogers said, clearly still bothered by the idea that Loki surrendered so easily. "He's not leading an army from here."

"I don't think we should focus on Loki." Banner said. "That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him." Bad choice of words, Banner.

"Have care how you speak." Thor stated warningly. "Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he is my brother."

"He killed 80 people in two days." Romanoff said dryly.

Thor paused. "He's adopted." So the rumors were true?

The group started to speak of how Loki would be able to keep his portal working, but I chose to focus on other matters. Thor had said Loki had an army. And that they would most likely exchange earth with the tesseract. Which meant Loki wasn't acting alone, but rather in exchange for something. That seemed very much more like Loki than what he was currently doing. How did he find this realm, though? Was it just from falling from Asgard?

The team split up, and I decided I would just go figure it out myself.

I began heading down the hallways to get to the holding cell, stopping briefly when I made it to Banner's lab. I stuck my head in and saw Stark and Rogers arguing.

"There's the doll we need right about now." Stark split from Rogers, who seemed irritated. "You worked for SHIELD a while ago, right?"

I nodded. "For five years."

Stark whistled. "Right, well tell me, do you sense something fishy going on with this whole situation?"

"We've got an all powerful god in a holding chamber that wants to bring an extraterrestrial army to earth. I'd say there's a lot going on that's fishy around here."

Stark rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean, doll. As someone as proficient as I in these matters," he gestured to the room, "don't you think SHIELD would have called me in a bit earlier in dealing with the tesseract?"

"SHIELD likes to act privately, involving as little outside sourcing as possible. Why do you think they covered so many cases? I'd say the biggest concern lies with the idea that SHIELD-"

Stark cut me off. "Listen to her. She's clearly still thinking like a SHIELD agent. Just cut to the chase, sweetheart."

I held back my irritation. "SHIELD is a private government contracted agency that has dealings with every branch of the government. I don't know what it is that SHIELD is keeping from us, but I can nearly guarantee you that we don't know 80% of this mission."

Stark smiled. "That wasn't too hard, now was it?" He turned back to Rogers. "Is that enough evidence for you? You've got an ex-SHIELD agent who's saying we don't know what's going on around here." Hell, I didn't know half of the things going on when I did work for SHIELD.

"If that's the last you need of me, I'll be going." I left the room, continuing to the holding chamber, where there was a guard sitting at the control panel.

Loki watched me as I circled the room to the man, who stood up.

"I'll take over watch from here." I stated, the man clearly worried.

"Ma'am, seeing as you're not an agent of SHIELD, I believe that it is not appropriate for you to be in charge of this matter." He seemed nervous. Young, probably had only spent a few of years with SHIELD. This was probably his first big assignment.

"What's your name, agent?"

"Agent Philips, Ma'am."

"What's your ranking, agent Philips?"

"Year 2 ranking, Ma'am."

I put my hands behind my back, standing officially. "Agent Philips, I was a Year 5 rank as of last year, and I am now retired. I believe that I stand with high enough recognition to guard this post."

He nodded and saluted. "Yes, Ma'am." He left the room and I took his seat, watching Loki.

"It is peculiar to see you acting in such a way." Loki stated, slowly pacing. "Freyja would have simply seduced that mortal. Or trick him into giving up his post." He smirked. "Do not tell me these powers are also lost on you."

I shrugged, tired of him attempting to belittle me. "I see you're still trying to pull words like that. Freyja would be disappointed. We both know the lies you instigated about her."

"Spare me your stories." Loki glared. "Tell me your purpose for you have come with reason."

I nodded. "Yep. I have. Tell me about the Chitauri. Do they have the tesseract?"

Loki sat, folding his hands in his lap. "I am unaware as to the location of the tesseract."

"Then do the Chitauri have it?"

"Perhaps."

"Thor believes you are giving the Chitauri Midgard in exchange for the tesseract. Is that true?"

He sneered at sound of his brother's name. "The Chitauri have shown me true power, and-"

"That doesn't answer my question." I stated simply. "Are you trading Midgard for the tesseract?"

"If it were that simple, I would have found a way to take the tesseract."

"So then tell me what happened. What's keeping you from taking the tesseract?"

"Have you ever thought about death?" Loki asked, changing the subject. He waited for my answer.

"Consider I exist because someone died, I think about it a lot."

"Death is something many fear, but there are few who welcome it."

"What's your point, Loki?"

"Do you fear death, Emmeline?"

"No." I stated confidently. "If I die fighting for something I believe, I will gladly go. If it is unjust, however, I will not fear it, but regret it."

Loki chuckled. "Yes, most would regret their death. Are you aware I fear it?"

"Coming from someone who fell off the bifrost by choice, and took on a super soldier and a human weapon, I find that hard to believe."

"I am aware of what I can do, but I most certainly fear death. More than death, however, I fear its predecessor. The act of dying I find terrifying."

"What are you trying to say, Loki? I haven't got all day to play your games."

He only smiled. "I have spoken only truth to you. But I shall stop my tongue now." He turned and faced the other direction, staring directly into one of the video cameras.

I sighed and stood up. "If that's really how you want to play it, then fine, Loki. But I truly believe you aren't acting on your own accord." I paused, realizing something. He wasn't acting on his own accord. And he said he feared the process of dying.

Loki seemed to notice me thinking, bowing his head slightly as I left the room. The guard went back in and I scoured the plane until I found Thor.

"Thor!" I nearly yelled to get his attention from the workout equipment he was nearly destroying with Mjölnir.

He held tightly to his hammer, turning and seeing me. "Yes?"

I was out of breath, excited with my findings. "I know why Loki's doing all of this."

Thor seemed intrigued and came closer. "If you know the reason to my brother's wrongdoings, share them."

"He's being threatened by the Chitauri. I was talking to him and he kept going on about how he's not trading Midgard for the tesseract, and how he's afraid of the process of dying. The Chitauri are threatening to kill him if he doesn't get Midgard under his control."

Thor's face lit up. "For discovering this, I am indebted to you."

I shook my head. "Nonsense. We just need to figure out a way to destroy the portal connecting the Chitauri to Midgard, and then we can free Loki."

Thor nodded and we left to tell the others. We found them congregating with Fury, Stark, Rogers, and Banner arguing aggressively with Fury. Agent Romanoff came in as we did, trying to calm Banner, who looked like he was about to blow a gasket. Or something else.

The room got silent as Banner spoke of the time he tried to kill himself. "You want to know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You want to know how I stay calm?"

"Dr. Banner." Rogers said warningly. "Put down the sceptre."

We all looked at his hand, and sure enough, Banner was holding Loki's sceptre.

"Damn it." I said quietly, Thor hearing me. "Loki's manipulating Banner. He has no intention of stopping."

"We will stop him." Thor reassured me.

A machine across the room alerted Banner of the tesseract's location, which caused him to put down the sceptre.

"You've located the tesseract." Thor stated, everyone arguing as to who could get it. "The tesseract belongs on Asgard. No human is a match for it." Everyone ignored Thor, Rogers and Stark going back to fighting.

"Oh my god." Banner barely had time to speak before the room exploded.


	8. Chapter 8

**The next few chapters will be highly predictable because they'll correlate almost exactly with what happened in the Avengers. After that, however, everything will be written from my own concepts. So if you're getting sick of all this repetitive plot line, just hold out a few chappies. I swear it'll get better.**

* * *

The room exploded, everyone falling in different directions.

"Is everyone alright?" Fury's voice buzzed through my ear piece, everyone responding they were fine.

I heard Banner's voice slowly distort until it became a roar. _Damn it._

I struggled to move around, finding Thor shortly. "Thor!" I yelled above the sound of chaos. "Banner's gone hulk! You need to find him and take him down!"

"But Loki-"

"If Banner takes down the ship, there will be no Loki to worry about! Go!"

Thor begrudgingly agreed, taking off.

"Grenade!" I ran from whoever yelled, rolling into a wall as the grenade exploded. I pulled out the colt .45 on my hip, taking aim at those who tried to enter the area that were shooting at us. By the time I got my footing behind a wall, I put the gun back on my leg, materializing my staff. I surrounded myself with Freyja's protection, and ran out from my cover, shooting deadly magic at those attacking. With the help of other SHIELD agents, the enemies were killed and with the chaos slowed, I rushed to where Loki was being held, finding Thor locked in the cage, Agent Coulson pointing a large ray gun at Loki, who was by the control panel.

"You like this?" Coulson asked Loki, who's hands were away from his body. "We started working on this after you sent the Destroyer." So this is what was done while I was away. "Even I don't know what it does." The ray gun lit up. "Want to find out?"

I saw Loki appear behind Coulson, stabbing him in the back with his sceptre before I could stop him.

"No!" Both Thor and I screamed, Coulson struggling. He fell to the ground, Loki sauntering over to the control panel again.

"Loki!" I screamed, running from the entrance of the room, unable to stop Loki as he pressed the button, launching Thor out of the bottom of the ship. I ran as fast as I could at Loki, furious. I materialized my staff and took a swing at Loki, who avoided the staff. I saw him lift the sceptre and I dodged to the side, quickly rolling beind Loki and attempting to take a shot at him, he stopped it again, pressing the tip of the bloodied sceptre to my throat.

"My war is not with you, mortal."

"You just stabbed Agent Coulson." I spat angrily. "I may have thought I could help you, but you have become my greatest enemy, Loki. You should have an even greater reason to fear death now."

He narrowed his eyes and swung me to the side, my head hitting a metal bar roughly. I felt blood trickle down my face and things got blurry, but I heard Coulson and Loki briefly speak, Coulson firing the weapon, Loki flying through the wall. I struggled to stand up and staggered over to Coulson, who was breathing shallowly.

"Coulson, you're okay." My words were slurring. I pressed my ear piece. "Get medics in the holding cell!"

"I should've trusted you a year ago." Coulson said, his eyes glazing. "You were right about that case."

I shook my head. I heard footsteps and men came into the room, a set of men coming over to me.

"Help him!" I yelled, the men going to Coulson. I saw Fury come in, speaking with Coulson briefly, before Fury backed up. I pulled myself up and stood with Fury.

"Agent Coulson is down." Fury stated, taking the words from my thoughts.

"_A medical team is on its way to your location_."

"They're here. They called it."

* * *

Rogers, Stark, and I gathered at the meeting table, my head pounding, though I wasn't sure if it was from hitting it so hard, or because Coulson was dead. I had worked with him every one of the five years I had spent at SHIELD. He had become like family to me.

"These were in Phil Coulson's jacket." Fury held Coulson's stack of Captain America trading cards. They were covered in blood. "I guess he never did get you to sign them." Fury threw the cards down in front of Rogers. "We're dead in the air, up here. Our communications, the location of the cube. Banner, Thor. I've got nothing for you. Lost to my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming." He began pacing.

"Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number, though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea. Stark and Rose know this. Called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could.

"Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea. In heroes."

Stark shot up and left.

"Well," Fury continued. "It's an old fashioned notion." Fury left, leaving Rogers and I to wallow.

"You should get medical attention." Rogers spoke quietly. "Your head and neck are bleeding."

I shook my head. "I'm fine." I stood up and left, heading back to my quarters, where I looked into the mirror for the first time. I had a large gash across the left side of my forehead, blood matting my hair, and a line of blood across my neck that I knew wasn't mine.

I disrobed and stepped into the shower, watching as the blood mixed with the water, flowing down the drain. Loki would pay. It didn't matter anymore if Loki was being threatened. He killed an innocent man, and my friend. I would be the one to take him down.

I stepped out of the shower and towel dried my hair, pulling on more comfortable clothing. I quickly grabbed my first aid kit and put a few butterfly stitches across the cut on my forehead, hoping it would last until after I got Loki. I didn't want to have to get stitches right now.

I pulled on a pair of boots and walked around the carrier, looking for Stark and Rogers. I knew I would need them if I were to take down Loki and his army. I found them in the holding cell, arguing about god knows what. I stood in the doorway, not wanting to enter the room.

"That's enough, you two." They stopped arguing long enough to look at me.

"Oh, hey, so you're best friend from another life almost _took down this ship_. Do you think we need to listen to you? Thanks to Captain and I, this thing is still floating." Stark was angry. Nothing new.

"Stark, listen. I get it. You're pissed. But you are not any more pissed than I am. Starting at age fourteen, I began working for SHIELD. No one believed what I was saying. Other than Agent Coulson. He was so intrigued by the matter that he immediately requested that I was permanently made a part of his team. I spent five years researching alongside him, and then I left. Because I didn't know what to with my life. Neither human, nor god, I was confused. If I had stayed, maybe this would have never happened. Perhaps Coulson would have never died had I stayed with SHIELD and developed weapons and information against Loki. I am _not_ on that god's side. I fight for what I believe in, and I believe Loki is wrong, no matter his reasons."

"You can't take one soldier's death as your own fault, Emmeline."

I glared at Rogers. "Captain Rogers, I am aware of your background, but both Coulson and I were never soldiers. We were agents. It may not be my fault, but maybe it would have been different. I am willing to fight now, however. I never trained for a war, but I can provide a side to this fight neither of you can."

"Oh yeah? How?" Stark clearly wasn't buying anything I said.

"I have the abilities of a god, Stark. Give me a minute and I'll be able to know where Banner, Thor, and Loki are." I began scrying and quickly found Thor, not far from our location. Luckily, he had landed safely, though he was having difficulties with Mjölnir again. Banner was a bit harder, but I found him in an abandoned warehouse of some kind in central New York. Loki was the most difficult, but I found him.

"Son of a bitch." I hadn't even noticed Stark and Rogers conversing, but Stark's words made me aware he knew where Loki was too.

"Get Agent Romanoff and Barton." I said to Rogers, who nodded. "Stark, go fix anything you need to and let's meet in the hull in ten." We split and I ran back to my room, pulling on the SHIELD regulated clothing, pulling on two leg holsters, and slipping a Glock 19 in each, pulling my hair back into a ponytail.

I left my room and saw Rogers with Romanoff and Barton, so I joined them.

"I'll fly to Stark Towers first. You guys come in later." We all heard Stark's voice over the earpiece, entering the plane. Barton kicked out the SHIELD agent and took the pilot's seat, taking off out of the plane.

"I will give you all a warning." I said as we entered the air. "Loki is the god of mischief and has an unlimited source of power. If he's successful in bringing the Chitauri to earth, we will have to fight three times as hard. They are what's supplying Loki with power." The group was silent but nodded nonetheless.

"_I'm almost there_." Stark's voice rang through the radio. "_I'll leave the feed open so you can hear what I hear_."

We all sat silently as Stark spoke to Sevlig, who said the machine was self sustaining now. Stark tried to fire at it, but it was completely protected. He spoke quickly to his computer, landing. I heard the whirls of machinery, footsteps following.

What was Stark doing?


	9. Chapter 9

**Back again! Sorry about not updating yesterday. It was hectic.**

**And yay Buttonpokes! I'm glad you've made it from fictionpress to fanfiction! And that there's at least _one_ person that I'll be able to keep the suspense up with since you haven't seen the Avengers.**

**This chappie is a fair amount shorter than usual, but it was the easiest place to cut it. Sorry!**

* * *

The feed continued, a pair of footsteps joining Stark.

"_Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity._" Loki.

"_Uh, actually, I'm planning to threaten you._"

"_You should have left your armor on for that_." Stark took off the suit? He better have a plan.

"_Yeah. It's uh, seen a bit of mileage, and you've got the blow stick of decimate. Would you like a drink?_" Loki chuckled.

"_Stalling me won't change anything._"

"_No, no, no. Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one._"

"_The Chitauri are coming. Nothing will change that. What have I to fear?_" Loki spoke a big game, but I could tell he was scared.

"_The Avengers. That's what we call ourselves. Sort of like a team. Earth's mightiest heros and everything._"

"_Yes. I've met them._"

"_Yeah. It takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But let's do a head count, here. Your brother, the demi-god. A reincarnation of a demi-god. A super soldier, a living legend, that kind of lives up to the legend. A man with breathtaking anger management issues. A couple of master assassins, and you, big fella. You've managed to piss off every single one of them._"

"_That was the plan_."

"_Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you_."

"_I have an army._"

"_We have a hulk._"

"_Oh I thought the beast had wandered off._"

"_Yeah, you're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this where you come out on top. Now maybe your army comes, and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it._"

"_How will your friends have time for me, when they're so busy fighting you?_"

The sound of the sceptre rung through the radio. Loki was going to possess Stark. Two clings were heard, then silence.

"_This usually works._"

"_Well, performance issues, you know, it's not uncommon. One out of five-_" Stark's sarcasm was cut short by something. Stark groaned and there was a loud thud.

"_You will all fall before me_." Loki was angry. There was the sound of crashing glass, Stark yelling a bit.

After a few moments of noise, Stark's voice came back. "A_nd there's one other person you've managed to piss off. His name is Phil._" I felt pride swell in my chest, realizing we weren't only here to avenge the earth, but avenge Coulson.

The sound of Stark's weapons went off, Loki's loud groan and a thud following. There was another loud bang.

"_Right_." Stark said. "_Army_."

They were here.

We flew as quickly as we could, Romanoff giving Stark our coordinates.

"_What, did you stop for drive thru? Swing up Park, I'm going to lay them out for you._" Barton steered the plane and we flew up a street, a barrage of small hovercrafts being shot at as Romanoff aimed. Barton flew the plane toward Stark towers, and I saw Thor was fighting Loki. Romanoff aimed the gun again, beginning to shoot, but not much happened before Loki aimed and blew up one of our propellers. The plane began sinking roughly, and I clung to the closest stable part of the plane, swinging around until we landed roughly. The back of the plane opened and we all rushed out.

"_We've got to get back up there!_" Rogers yelled and we began following him. We stopped short, however, when even more hovercrafts flew out of the portal, followed by what appeared to be a flying, armored whale thing. It shot out aliens in every direction.

"_Stark, are you seeing this?_" Rogers was amazed, albeit horrified.

"_Seeing. Still working on believing. Where's Banner, has he shown up yet?_"

I scryed quickly, unable to locate Banner. "I don't know." I stated. "I can't see him."

"_Just keep me posted._"

We gathered behind a car and waited for safety, Barton going to speak before the street lit up in flames, a group of hovercrafts lead by Loki flying down the street. Rogers watched over his shoulder as groups of people were trapped by the aliens.

"They're fish in a barrel down there."

Romanoff stood up and fired a couple of rounds at the incoming aliens. She glanced at Rogers. "We've got this. It's good. Just go."

Rogers was hesitant. "You think you can hold them off?"

"Captain," Barton said. "It'd be my genuine pleasure."

Rogers looked to me for the final answer and I nodded. "This is a good warm up." I stated, joking dryly.

Rogers nodded and left, Romanoff and I shooting at any incoming aliens. Barton took the job of unloading a bus full of trapped people, and when he finished, I traded places with him, shooting anything that came from that direction. The amount of aliens increased and I traded my guns for one of the aliens spears, which shot energy from the cube, though it was weak. Rogers came back in, swinging his shield at anything that came near him. The sky lit up with lightning, Thor falling not far from us.

There was a break of aliens from Thor's attack, and we approached him.

"What's the story upstairs?" Rogers asked.

"The power surrounding the cube is impenetrable."

"_Thor's right, you've got to deal with these guys_." Stark's voice rang through the signal.

"How do we do this?" Romanoff asked, out of breath.

Rogers looked to the sky. "As a team."

"I have unfinished business with Loki." Thor seemed to be searching the hovercrafts as we spoke.

Barton wasn't too pleased with Thor's words. "Yeah? Well get in line."

Rogers was annoyed. "Save it."

"Loki's going to focus these things on us." I spoke for the first time. "Without him doing that, we don't know what would happen. We need him to keep doing that."

"We got Stark up top. He's going to need us to-" Rogers stopped and turned around, the sound of an old motocycle slowing to a stop. I turned as well and saw Banner in worn clothing.

"So," Banner got off the bike and came to meet the group. "This all seems, horrible."

"I've seen worse." Romanoff shared a look with Banner.

"Sorry." He stated.

"No," Romanoff interrupted. "We could use a little worse." Banner seemed surprised.

"Stark, we got him." Rogers spread the message.

"_Banner?_"

"It's just like you said."

"_Then tell him to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you_."

We all looked up and saw Stark fly through the air, the large beast following him closely.

"I-I don't see how that's a party." Romanoff looked nervous.

"Dr. Banner. Now might be a good time to get angry." Rogers noted carefully.

"That's my secret." Banner said, heading toward the beast, which was plowing through everything in its way. "I'm always angry." Banner quickly shifted into the Hulk, smashing the beast in the head, which caused its armor to split off. Stark shot it in its soft spots, the beast falling over and dying. Banner let out a loud roar, all of us standing with our backs together.

Showtime.


	10. Chapter 10

**So this is the last _full_ chappie of the Avengers related plot. The next chappie is only about a third Avengers movie stuff, then the rest of the story shall be all original content.**

**Last thing. Whenever I upload a chappie, the formatting is kind of getting screwed up, so I'll do my best to fix things so they're in italics/correctly emphasized, but if I miss something, let me know.**

* * *

The sound of screaming aliens resonated through the streets, Agent Romanoff speaking first.

"Guys," she said warningly. We all turned and looked into the sky, multiple beasts flying out of the portal.

"Call it, Captain." Stark's words seemed wary.

"Alright, listen up." Rogers stepped forward, eyes not leaving the portal. "Until we can close that portal up there, what we need is containment." He glanced at Barton. "Barton, what I want is you up on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you've got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back, or you turn it to ash."

"Give me a lift?" Barton asked Stark, Stark nodding.

"Thor." Rogers continued. "You've got to try and bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. You've got the lightning, light the bastards up." Thor swung his hammer and took off into the air. Rogers turned to Romanoff and I. "You two and me, we stay here on the ground. We keep the fighting here." Rogers looked around, his eyes settling on Banner. "And hulk." Banner turned angrily. "Smash."

Banner grinned wildly and jumped into the air, taking out multiple aliens in the process. Rogers, Romanoff, and I turned with our backs together, taking out any aliens we saw coming toward us, or looking for humans to kill.

I swung widely at an alien with my staff, blowing him down the street along with several other aliens that were coming.

I turned to Romanoff and Rogers, Romanoff seeming exponentially tired.

"None of this is going to mean a damn thing if we don't close that portal." Romanoff panting.

"These guns couldn't touch it." Rogers responded.

"Guns won't do anything." I stated as I approached, wiping a bit of blood that had leaked from the cut on my head. "That portal is magic, and what we need is magic to take it out."

Romanoff and I glanced at each other, Rogers taking the hint.

"Well if you to are going to get up there, you'll need a ride."

"I've got a ride." Romanoff threw down the alien's weapon she had been wielding. I followed her line of vision and saw she was staring at one of the hovercrafts flying past. "I could use a boost, though." She stepped away from Rogers and as one of the hovercrafts was flying by, she ran and jumped on his shield, landing on the hovercraft.

Rogers looked at me. "You want a boost too?"

I shook my head. I wasn't nearly skilled enough to make that jump. "I'll find a way." Rogers nodded and went back to fighting. I leaned over the edge of the bridge we were on and saw a hovercraft making it's way over, so I jumped and landed safely on the hovercraft, killing the two inhabitants with one stab. I guided the hovercraft toward Stark Towers, firing at anyone who came near the hovercraft.

I saw Romanoff was being chased by Loki and I attempted to fire at him multiple times, missing each one. I saw Barton shoot an arrow, Loki exploding off of the hovercraft.

He landed at my destination, so I took the chance to jump off the hovercraft, slamming into the concrete roughly, standing as best as I could. I turned and saw Loki stand as well, though he seemed much more alive than I felt.

He grinned when he saw me. "So my opponent shall be the informant, I see."

I struggled to get my footing, my lungs feeling like they were collapsing. Before Loki could reach me, however, Banner flew onto the building, slamming Loki inside. I counted my blessings and watched, highly amused, as Banner beat Loki into the ground several times. Banner glanced briefly at me before flying off the edge of the building.

I limped into the building, my leg feeling numb. "This isn't going to work, Loki." I said tiredly.

"There's nothing for you to do." He replied, equally as tired. "You will lose."

I shook my head. "No, Loki. We'll stop it. That's why we're here."

"_Rose, where are you?_" Romanoff's voice rung through my earpiece.

"Stark Towers. Are you with the device?"

"_Selvig said the sceptre could stop the power, but it's down by you._"

I turned and saw Loki's sceptre out on the balcony. "Switch places with me, Romanoff." I glanced one time at Loki, who seemed almost serene, then I headed outside, Romanoff jumping down from the top of the building.

"You'll have to stab the tesseract directly with the sceptre. I can do it if you want."

I shook my head. "This is mine. I know it well enough to end this." I bent down and picked up the sceptre, climbing the side of the building as quickly as I could, despite the fact that I could feel my insides burning. I made it to the top and saw Selvig on the edge of the building. I nodded at him and he recognized me, nodding back.

"The portal will close as soon as you can stab the tesseract with the sceptre. The power of the sceptre should be able to pass the barrier." He stood up and opened his laptop, gesturing to the location of the tesseract.

I lifted the sceptre and passed it through the device's shield, the energy slowly going up the sceptre and into my hands. I winced as the tingling continued up my arms and through my body, the sceptre slowly nearing the tesseract.

"I can shut the portal down." I groaned through my earpiece. "Anybody copy?"

"_Do it!_" I heard Roger's urgent voice, Stark interrupting him.

"_No, wait._"

"_Stark, these things are still coming._"

"_I've got a nuke coming in. It's going to blow in less than a minute. And I know just where to put it._"

I waited silently, sceptre close to the tesseract, my arms growing weaker by the moment.

"_Stark, you know that's a one way trip_." Rogers' voice was dripping with concern. Stark didn't respond, but I saw him shoot up the side of the building and into the portal, nuke on his shoulders. The world went silent as we waited for Stark to come back out, but there was no sign of him. "_Close it_." The two words made me look away from the portal and jam the sceptre into the tesseract, the energy spitting out one final time before it cut off, the portal closing.

I dropped the sceptre quickly and looked up, Stark falling out of the portal just before it closed. I felt myself smile largely, though the smile faded when I noticed that he would plunge into the ground at this rate. I saw a flash of green and Banner had grabbed Stark, plowing into the ground, both safe. Or so it seemed.

I climbed off the top of the building and onto the balcony, standing with Romanoff. Neither of us strayed our eyes from Stark, who lay unconscious. A loud roar came from Banner, and we saw Stark's body jerk. He was okay.

"I'll go get Selvig settled." Romanoff said, heading back up the side of the building. I nodded at her words, though she was already gone. I was absolutely exhausted.

Everyone arrived on the balcony at about the same time Romanoff came back down. Everyone patted each other on the back, most of us happy. Though I still felt as if someone had just run a train over me. Not to mention that my body still tingled from the power of the tesseract.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright?" I glanced up and smiled tiredly at Rogers, who looked concerned. Always there for a soldier.

"I'm fine." I said, my voice hoarse. "But I've said it once, I'll say it again. I'm not a mercenary." Rogers smiled and nodded, checking on Romanoff.

"Hey doll, thanks for almost trapping me in that alternate world." I glanced at Stark and he looked quite serious.

"If you were in my position-"

"I'm just kidding, doll. Man, you take things too personally." He grinned, his line of vision going over my shoulder. "And he wakes." We all turned and saw Loki struggling to move. We headed inside, Barton taking extreme joy in pointing an arrow at Loki's face as he turned to see us.

Loki's mouth gaped a bit. "If it's all the same to you," he groaned and leaned back on his hands.

"I'll have that drink now."


	11. Chapter 11

**Yay! So _finally_ to plot that isn't all from Thor or the Avengers. Like I said last chappie, however, the first section of this chappie is the ending of the Avengers, so there's that that's the same plot, but everything after is all my plot. **

* * *

It had been several days since the alien attack on New York.

In that time, the city had begun reconstruction, and there were a lot of news reports about the Avengers. Most of them were positive, but there were a lot that held us responsible for the damages. They seemed to miss the part where they would be dead without our help.

It was finally time to send Loki back to Asgard for his punishment, and we had all gathered one more time to see him and Thor off. I was the last to arrive, and quickly hopped out of the taxi, catching up to the group.

"Hey, doll." Stark said, having yet to call me by my name. "You look healthier."

I nodded. "I guess none of the wounds were very bad. I woke up after the war and was completely healed. I feel even better than usual."

Stark slapped a hand on my shoulder and removed it, cradling his hand. "Damn, you've got a hard shoulder. What, are you wearing a metal suit under there?"

I shook my head. "Just a t-shirt. Thanks, though." I glanced past him and saw Banner. "Hey Dr. Banner. Looking good." He looked much more relaxed than he had when we first met on the carrier.

He grinned stupidly. "Yeah, well, releasing some stress does that to you."

I briefly shook hands with Barton and Romanoff, nodding at Rogers. Thor lead Loki, handcuffed, to Dr. Selvig, who had put together a device that could transport Thor and Loki back to Asgard with the power of the tesseract. Banner transferred the tesseract to the tube, Thor taking it in his hands. Loki put his hand on half of it and I spoke up before they left.

"Hey Thor."

He glanced at me. "Yes?"

"If the frost giants cause you problems because of me, I'm sorry. Just tell them I gave them a chance to head home, but they were stubborn."

Thor nodded. "I do not wish to find meaning in your statement, but I shall keep notice."

"Oh, and say hi to Sif for me. And tell Odin that Freyja wants him to have her half of those who die and send them to Valhalla. And remind-"

"Would you like to just come with? You seem to have a fair amount to share."

I smiled at his offer. "And die on the way up there? Then Freyja's life would go to waste. You can just be my messenger." I glanced at Loki, who's eyes were smirking strongly, and Thor spoke again.

"Then we take our leave." He did a short bow and turned back to Loki, turning his end of the device into place, the two disappearing.

We all said our goodbyes, Stark and Banner leaving together, no doubt to go do some science experiment, Rogers leaving on his motorcycle, and Barton and Romanoff leaving together as well, most likely heading back to SHIELD.

I smiled, taking a few steps down the stairs, inhaling deeply. It was over. Everything was right again.

Now it was time to get back to what I did best.

* * *

_4 months later_

_"I have heard word of a mortal from Midgard, sire."_

_"And what of a mortal is of interest to me?"_

_"She-she possesses the life of Freyja, sire."_

_"Then we are sure of what to do, are we not?"_

_"Yes, sire."_

I woke, gasping for breath. I stood from my bed and headed to the minibar, taking a swig from my water bottle. It was the third night I had woken from this dream. I had yet to understand what was going to happen, but there was no doubt in my mind who I was seeing. It was Surt, the ruler of Muspelheim, the realm of fire. Surt couldn't stand any Asgardian, and wanted to destroy each and every one of them, though he had never been successful. Freyja shouldn't have been in his sights, considering she was of Vanaheim, but her moving to Asgard and teaching Odin of magic made her a person of interest.

Which in turn made me a person of interest.

I set down my water bottle and checked the bedside clock. The red, flashing lights read 5:23 Am. Well, even after fighting a few dark elves late last night, or early this morning, I wasn't going to get back to sleep.

I headed to the bathroom and took a quick shower, leaving the small motel bathroom and changing into jeans and a t-shirt. I'd need to head back to America and find a way to get in contact with Thor. He could get me in touch with Odin, who would surely know what to do.

I put my things away in my small bag, leaving the motel room and checking out. I walked to the airport and booked a flight out to New York, figuring SHIELD would know a way to get in touch with the god. I got an early morning flight and waited out the time trying to figure out the best way to approach the situation. I had gotten stronger, no doubt. I barely even felt injured when I was fighting. And I was far more in control of my abilities. Even Freyja would be proud of what I'd been able to figure out on my own.

I boarded the plane and sat near the window, calculating out my chances of the likelihood of my survival if Surt chose to attack.

"So, do you come here often?" I was brought out of my thinking by a very drunk man who had settled into the empty seat beside me. I ignored him as he rambled on about his reason for leaving Ireland and heading to New York. Like I actually cared.

The plane finally landed and I got off, heading through the airport. I was surprised at the amount of footage regarding the Avengers, still after four months. Granted, reconstruction of the city was going to take more than four months, but it was weird to see Stark's and Rogers' faces plastered everywhere in the airport. They both seemed to be the faces of the Avengers. I headed to the only phone booth I could find right outside the airport and put in a few coins, making a call to SHIELD.

"_SHIELD headquarters New York, how may I direct your call_?"

"I'd like to speak to Nick Fury please." Silence.

"_May I ask what this is in regards to_?"

I sighed. "That would be a classified matter. If you can just transfer me-"

"_I'm sorry, ma'am. Director Fury is busy at the moment, and you won't be able to speak with him. Goodbye._" The secretary hung up and I groaned. So I would have to go to headquarters myself, huh?

I hailed a cab and climbed in, giving him an address a block away from SHIELD. I sat quietly listening to the radio as we drove, arriving at the destination quickly. I handed the man a wad of cash and got out, walking the rest of the way to headquarters.

I walked inside and up to the front desk, the woman at her computer looking up at me.

"Can I help you?" I recognized her voice as the woman from the call I'd made earlier.

"Yeah, I need to see Nick Fury." I saw something flicker through her eyes.

"You're the girl from the phone call earlier, aren't you?"

I nodded. "One in the same."

"Well like I said, Director Fury is busy. You can't see him without an appointment."

I put my hands on the counter and leaned back. "Well he'll want to see me. You see, I'm-"

"Emmeline." I turned my head and saw Agent Howards. The woman at the counter exchanged a glance between Howards and I.

"Hi Agent Howards. How're you?"

He came up and shook my hand. "I'm surprised to see you back so soon. I saw you from the security feed."

"Oh, well I have some business I need to take care of with Fury, so I figured I'd come back to the states. I called earlier, but your secretary said he was busy." The woman eyed me helplessly.

"Did you really, Kelly?"

The woman looked flustered. "Well I was told Director Fury was busy."

"Not for an international hero he isn't." He slapped me on the back. "Come, Emmeline. I'll take you to him." I followed Howards to the elevator, where he scanned his ID, us stepping into the elevator.

"So why do you need to see Director Fury?" Howards asked after a short silence. What should I say? War wasn't going to be brought onto earth if I could figure out a way to handle this.

"Big news, Agent Howards. Big news."


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry it took me a bit longer to update today. I had to update one of my stories on fictionpress and I hadn't exactly finished the chappie yet. But that's all done now, so I can update this story now!**

**And as a warning, this chappie is full of me being a girly girl, so if you don't enjoy that, I apologize. There shouldn't be too many girly outbursts in this story.**

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"Stay here a moment, Emmeline." I nodded at Howards' request, standing in the hallway as he headed into the board room. I heard quick mumbling, then Howards came back out. "Director Fury is in a meeting, but he'll be out in five. He told me to take you to the meeting room." I followed Howards down the hallway and we arrived at an open area, Howards sitting me down.

"Woud you like a cup of coffee? Maybe a soda?"

"Coffee's great, thanks." I was beyond tired from not having slept much, and a little bit of caffeine sounded good right about now. Howards nodded and poured me a cup, knowing that I took it black.

He sat down across from me. "So a lot's changed since I was training you a few years ago, huh?"

I smiled and nodded, taking a swig of the hot coffee. "That's a slight understatement."

"You look good, though." He said. "I saw you when you were working with the other Avengers, and you looked, no offense, a bit weak compared to the group. Now you look like you could take on the world yourself."

I snorted a bit. "More like worlds, but thanks for the compliment."

"Emmeline Rose." I glanced up and saw Fury.

I stood up. "Director Fury."

He shook my hand, Howards leaving. "I'm surprised to see you in New York. Had I known you were coming, I would've planned a party."

I shrugged my hand. "I was never one for parties. But listen, I need you to do me a favor."

He smiled. "After saving the world, I think I can grant you one favor."

"Great." I took another quick swig of coffee and leaned forward. "I need to get in contact with Thor."

Fury looked surprised. "Oh? And for what reason."

"Long story short is someone from another realm is causing problems."

Fury tensed. "Problems with earth?"

I shook my head. "No. Well, not directly. It's more regarding the fact that I'm on Earth that would cause the problem. It's hard to explain, but I need to talk to Thor. And since I can't contact him, I figured maybe you'd be able to."

Fury furrowed his brow. "I can do my best. We haven't been able to set up a channel with him yet, but I'll get Selvig and Banner on it."

I nodded. "The sooner the better. Really."

Fury stood. "I'll do my best. How long do you plan to be in town?"

"As long as it takes to get in contact with Thor. Do you need any help getting in contact with Selvig or Banner?"

Fury smirked. "Why don't you get Banner? I hear he's been hanging around Stark lately, and I'm sure the two would love to see an old face. In fact," he patted down his pockets, smiling when he pulled a piece of paper out. "Stark's having a gala tonight. He gave SHIELD a few invitations, but I'm thinking you can put them to better use."

I nodded. "Right, well I'll bring in Banner. Thanks." I took the invitation and read it, internally groaning when i learned I'd have to dress up for the 'formal ball,' as was written.

I left headquarters and wandered down the streets until I found a decent store, heading inside.

"Welcome," one of the women stated, eyeing my luggage. "Do you need any help today?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm got some gala thing to go to, so I need a dress. And shoes."

The woman smiled when she realized I was a customer. "Sure. How formal?"

"Um, 'formal ball' formal."

She nodded and lead me over to a rack of long dresses, picking out a few. "This one would go great with your blonde hair." She grabbed another. "This one would look fabulous with your green eyes." And a third. "And this one would show off your legs. You seem like the type who has toned legs, so I'd recommend this one."

I nodded uneasily and tried on the third option, the woman's suggestion. It was black, and low cut, and had a slit that if it were any higher, my underwear would be hanging out.

"Do you have it on?" I sensed the woman didn't get many customers, considering how involved she wanted to be in my purchase.

"Yeah." I stepped out and she smiled largely.

"It's beautiful. And I knew you had great legs. God, you look like a goddess in that."

I internally cringed at her choice of words. "Perhaps one of the others. I'm not big on slits."

The woman nodded, clearly a little disappointed. "Alright. Try on the sapphire one next." I headed back into the dressing room and slipped into the dark blue dress, highly claustrophobic in the sateen. I stepped out of the room and the woman gushed again, dissatisfied when I reentered the dressing room to try on the final option. I pulled on the deep purple, silk dress, the cap sleeves feeling reassuring as compared to the strapless dress I had just tried on. I stepped out of the room, and this time, there were a few women staring at me. They all oohed.

"Wow. That looks gorgeous on you." One woman said.

"It's like it was made for you." I went with the compliments, the woman who had been helping me setting a pair of tall, black, pointed heels in front of me.

"Try these." She said, helping me step into the heels. Another chorus of oohs came from the women. Clearly this was the right dress. I headed back into the dressing room and changed into my normal clothes, taking out the dress and shoes, which the woman rung up. I winced slightly as I spent most of my remaining money on the outfit. I'd been living off the money I'd made working for SHIELD for five years, and it was finally running low.

"If you want to get your hair and makeup done, you should go to the salon across the street." The woman said. "Ask for Tyler. He's my brother and he'll help you out. Just say Melanie sent you."

I nodded and thanked the woman, leaving the store. I slung the shopping bag over my shoulder as I headed to get a bite to eat before going over to the salon. I probably wouldn't be able to get into the gala if I were dressed wonderfully, but had hair that had been towel dried from a shower at 5:30 in the morning.

I headed inside the salon and saw a man and a woman gossiping at the front counter.

"Do you have an appointment?" The woman asked, irritated that I was interrupting her gossip.

"Um, no, but I'm here to see Tyler. Melanie said I should just come over." I heard a clatter and a man with far too many highlights came around the corner.

"What did Melanie do again? I can't take another client right now!"

"You must be Tyler." I stated, his glare softening when he saw me.

"My god, you're perfect. Look at you."

I felt my cheeks heat up. "I just needed someone to do something with my hair, but I can see you're busy, so I'll go."

"No, no, no!" The man grabbed my arm as I turned to leave. "You I have time for. I mean,look at you."

I gaped several times, unsure of what to say.

"Sorry. I'm Tyler." He stuck his hand out and I shook it. "What did you need me for?"

"Oh I've um, got a gala thing tonight, and I need hair and makeup-"

He turned over my hand, which he had been shaking. "And you're in desperate need of a manicure. Let's go." He pulled me by my hand back into the salon, taking my shopping bag from me and hanging the dress out so it wouldn't wrinkle.

"So I'm thinking loose updo." Tyler said as he ran his hands through my hair. "You know, to show off the backless dress, and all. And I'll get my makeup and my manicurist here. You just sit tight. When does the gala begin?"

"Um," I fumbled to pull out the invitation, Tyler grabbing it from my hand.

"Stark Industries kindly invites you to attend our annual gala?" He seemed amazed. "Stark Industries? Alright, who are you and how are you getting into Stark Industries parties?"

"Th-that would be a friend gave me the invitation. Yep. A friend."

"Well I'm calling in backup. I want you to look perfect. Betty, get the jeweler from down the street! Roger, call Franco and see if we can get Chanel makeup products in here!"

I felt flustered as the salon turned to chaos, the women around me gossiping quietly. I sat silently as a few women came over to soak my hands and begin applying nude acrylic nails to my hands. I felt my head fall back a few times as I slowly drifted in and out of sleeping, before I felt a tug on my jacket.

I sat straight up and glanced at the little boy who was staring at me. "Yes?" I asked him politely, looking for his mother. I didn't do well with kids.

"Are you a superhero?" A few woman glanced at the kid.

I laughed hesitantly. "No. I'm not."

The kid sniffled. "But you look like her." He pointed down to his stack of playing cards. He had splayed a few out and I saw they were the Avengers edition. And sure enough, the kid was pointing at a picture of me taken from a SHIELD file.

A woman came and picked up the kid, foils in her hair. "I'm sorry." She said. "My son heard you were going to Tony Stark's gala tonight and thought you were Emme." I wanted to laugh at the name. Emme? Is that really the best superhero name they could come up with?

Nonetheless, I smiled at the woman. "He's not annoying me. I find it cute that he's so interested in the Avengers." I turned my attention to the little boy. "Who's you favorite Avenger?"

He smiled widely and pulled out one of the cards, showing it to me. "I like Thor because he's big, he can fly, and he hits stuff with a hammer."

I smiled at the kid's enthusiasm. "Did you live here during the war a few months ago?" I asked his mom.

She nodded. "Yeah. At the time, however, were were upstate, luckily. Zachery here couldn't take his eyes off of the tv when he saw a guy with a hammer and a cape."

I laughed. "Yeah, that cape tends to draw attention." I looked at the kid again. "Want to know a secret?"

He nodded, biting his lip.

I whispered barely loud enough for him to hear. "I'm Emme."

His eyes got wide and I winked at him, his mother dragging him away.

I chuckled and leaned back again, trying to waste time before I could figure out how to contact Thor.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Hmm. Did I update Misunderstood today? I must have. I mean, it's almost dinner time. I wouldn't have forgotten to, right? I'm always so on top of things. Wait. I was gone all day. So I haven't updated yet, have I? **_**Derp.**

**Don't you _love_ when the days run together and you're not sure when the last time you updated was? I sure don't. Sorry for the late update.**

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"Wow. You. Look. Gorgeous."

I glanced at Tyler shyly, waving my hand at him. "No I don't. I just clean up ok."

He laughed humorlessly. "Seriously, though. No human should look this good."

I glanced in the mirror and saw that maybe, just maybe, Tyler was right. He'd managed to tame my long hair and make it glossy, something I'd never actually put effort into doing. And the makeup. God, don't get me started on the makeup. I looked like a different person. Too bad it'd only be for tonight before I had to deal with Surt.

"You should get going." Tyler's voice brought me back to reality.

"Right." I nodded and walked out of the salon, someone I recognized as a SHIELD agent standing in front of a town car. I saw him visibly gulp as I came up to him.

"Did Director Fury tell you to come get me?" The man nodded.

"Director Fury was aware you wouldn't have a place to put your belongings, so he asked me to drive you to the party and pick you up afterwards. I nodded and stepped into the backseat of the car, the agent about to shut the door before I heard a voice calling my name.

The little boy from earlier rushed up, his mother watching him silently from a few feet back.

He held out a stack of his cards. "These are for you."

I took the cards and looked through them, each of them one of the Avengers. The kid had even put his name and address on the back.

"Can you give them to the other Avengers?"

I smiled and the kid and ruffled his hair, nodding. "I don't know if I'll see them all, but I can promise you I'll give Iron Man and the Hulk theirs tonight." His face lit up and he nodded, running back to his mom. He waved, as well as I, and the SHIELD agent shut the door, going around to the front of the car. He took off and I thought about the kid. He was so young, but he was so trusting of me. _Kids_.

The agent slowed the car to a stop, and rolled down my window, a man asking for my invitation. I handed him it and we continued down the street, the car stopping again. I could see lights flashing and someone opened my door suddenly, subjecting me to the paparazzi, who were furiously taking pictures.

I got out of the car and turned to the SHIELD agent, who stood silently. "Come back at ten." I said, eyeing my watch which read 9:00. The agent nodded and got back in the car, pulling away as I made my way up the stairs, keeping my head down as the cameras flashed. I made it inside and began my search for Banner or Stark, which was quickly ended when a clearly drunk man attached himself to my hip.

"What's your name?" He asked, his breath reeking of whiskey.

"I'm a bit busy, so if you don't mind letting go of me."

"Oh come on," he whined. "It's a party. Lighten up."

I glared at him. "Perhaps you should get you hands off of me. Would you _really_ like to deal with me?"

He sobered up and let go of me, allowing me to continue my search. I spotted strawberry blonde hair, and I knew it was Pepper Potts, Stark's fiancé. Though I had never met her, I knew enough of her to know Stark would be somewhere near her.

I made my way through the crowd to her, sticking out my hand. "Hi, Ms. Potts. I'm sure you don't know me, but my name is-"

"Emmeline Rose, right? Feel free to call me Pepper." She smiled, shaking my hand. "You're the girl who almost closed Tony in another world only a few months ago." Great first impression, Em.

"Yeah, about that-"

"Don't worry." Pepper laughed. "Sometimes I myself have wanted to send Tony to another dimension." I awkwardly shared in her laughter. "So are you here on behalf of SHIELD? I know we sent some invitations to them."

I made a face. "I guess you could say that. I um, I need Dr. Banner's help and Director Fury suggested I look for him here."

Pepper nodded. "That's about right. Tony has been helping Bruce on a number of projects lately. The two have been inseparable." She glanced around the room, pointing. "There they are." I followed her finger and saw Stark and Banner talking with another man. Pepper smiled at me again. "Good luck talking to them right now. They're talking to Dr. Larson, and those two are huge fans of his."

I nodded. "Right. Thank you. It was nice meeting you." I left Pepper as she began talking to another person, making my way across the room. Dr. Larson left, which allowed me to go up to the two, both a bit uninterested. That is, until Stark realized who I was.

"Holy hell, is that you, doll? Man, you need to dress up more."

I smiled politely at Stark, who seemed to always react to me like this. "Hello Mr. Stark. Dr. Banner." I shook hands with both of the men, Stark still eyeing me.

"So what brings you to my humble shindig?" Stark said, gesturing to the large hall.

"Um, that's kind of official business. Dr. Banner, do you mind if I talk to you for a moment?"

He seemed slightly uneasy but nodded. "Sure." He lead the way to the patio, where there were very few people.

"So what's this about?" He asked. "If you're here for SHIELD, I told them I wouldn't work for them."

I shook my head. "I'm in the same boat as you, Dr. Banner. I just, I really need your help."

He furrowed his brow. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I need to get in contact with Thor, so I spoke to Fury, but he still hasn't been able to set up a connection with Thor, but he said he needed Selvig and you to make it happen."

"Why do you need-"

"Please don't ask too many questions, Dr. Banner. It won't be of concern if I can reach Thor. Do you think you can help?"

He thought a moment. "I can do my best, but I can't guarantee I can solve the issue."

I nodded. "Any help of yours would be appreciated."

"I can help too." We both turned to see Stark, sauntering over. "I had JARVIS run a few scans on the tesseract when it was in our possession, so I've got the basic knowledge of it. I can probably help Bruce and Selvig find a way to make contact with Thor."

I nodded. "Thank you guys. Really."

Stark shrugged. "Eh. It's the least I can do for the girl who almost trapped me in an alien world."

I groaned. "Nobody's going to let me live that down, are they?"

Stark shook his head. "Nope. That's how you shall be known forever."

"I was only following Captain Rogers' orders, I'll have you know."

"Yeah, but you're the one who shoved the sceptre in, _Emme_."

I stuck my tongue out at the name. "Really, though. _Emme_. That's the best they could come up with? Oh right!" I dug through my clutch and pulled out the kid's trading cards. "Some kid saw me earlier and wanted me to give these to you guys." I handed the two their trading cards, Banner blanching at the violent picture of the Hulk on the card.

Tony, however, smiled and turned it over. "I'm _so_ going to this kid's birthday party. Speaking of parties, we should go back inside. Perhaps get a little tipsy, and crash SHIELD HQ later."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm only 19, Mr. Stark."

He rolled his eyes in response. "And I'm a little older than that. But come on, lighten up." He slung an arm over both Banner and I, dragging us back into the party.

* * *

"It's finished."

I jumped up at Dr. Selvig's words. Selvig, Banner, and Stark had spent two straight days working on a device to get in contact with Asgard, and because of Stark's data, they had been able to recreate the signal of the tesseract, allowing for contact with Asgard.

"So can we use it?" I asked quickly, going up to the machine.

Banner tweaked a few knobs and pressed a few buttons, nodding. "It should be up and running. Try it out."

I put my face near the microphone and pressed the talk button. "Calling Asgard, over."

There was a bit of static before I heard a voice. "Who calls for Asgard?"

"That doesn't sound like Thor." Stark commented.

I shook my head, knowing the voice. "That's Heimdall." I pressed the talk button again. "Heimdall, this is Emmeline Rose, I'm sure you know of me. I request help from Odin."

"For what purpose?"

I briefly closed my eyes. "Surt is tracking me."

More static. "I shall notify him immediately."

"Thank you, Heimdall. And please do so quickly."

"As requested." The feed ended and I stood up fully, letting out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.

"Surt." I glanced at Selvig, who seemed to be wracking his brain of the word. "Surt is ruler of Muspelheim, isn't he?"

I nodded. "He's become aware I'm the reincarnation of Freyja, and that causes him strife. He wants to take me out."

I heard a low whistle, then Stark's voice. "I didn't know you were in such a situation, doll. If I had, I'd have tried to get this thing up and running faster."

I shrugged. "What's done is done. Heimdall should get back shortly."

As if on cue, the static picked up again. "Thor is traveling to Midgard by means of tesseract. He should arrive shortly."

"Thank you, Heimdall." I cut the feed and pulled my jacket off the back of the chair, leaving the room.

"Where're you going, doll?" Stark followed shortly after me.

"To go meet Thor. Thank you for the help, but from here on I'll do this alone."

"Woah, woah, woah, doll. If you think it's too tough, you're funny considering what I went through not but a few months ago.

I stopped short of the elevator, spinning to look at Stark. "Surt is a _king_, Stark. He is not another Loki with a portal. His realm is made of fire, he is a giant, and he is deadly. I am not letting any of you get involved."

"What if you don't have a say in it?" Stark said. "He comes to Earth, and the Avengers are going to defend it."

"He's not going to make it to Earth." I said, stepping in the elevator. "Because I'm going to stop him before he does."

"You can't travel there." Stark said. "You said it yourself. You're too human to travel inter-realms."

I pressed the floor button.

"Then I'll die trying."


	14. Chapter 14

**So I'm lame, right? I totally forgot to upload yesterday, and for that I apologize. But I hope you can forgive me!**

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I waited silently as I saw a blue beam appear, Thor appearing as the beam faded. He turned and saw me, the look on his face to be concern, but also surprise.

"You are well?" He asked.

I nodded. "I'm fine. But I've been having dreams. Surt is aware I exist, and it's pissing him off. He wants to get rid of me, but I'm not sure how or when."

"You have changed." He switched the subject. "You are stronger."

I shrugged. "I've been working out, what with the occasional elf or giant coming to Midgard."

"You are stronger, but you are not aware of how strong you have become."

I was confused. "What do you mean, Thor?"

"The tesseract." He spoke while pacing slightly. "You were the one to shut down the portal, correct?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but what does that matter?"

"Have you felt any different since the occurrence?"

"Stronger, yeah. But that's just from more fighting, right?"

Thor shook his head. "You received some of the power of the tesseract when you stopped the portal. You have become more god-like than you were months ago."

That was news to me. I had only thought I was stronger from more experience. But what Thor said made sense. When I had shut down the tesseract, I felt power surge through me, and I had healed quicker than ever.

"Does that mean I can travel by means of the tesseract now?" I asked, hoping to remove myself from Earth in order to protect it.

Thor nodded. "You may have been too much of a mortal to travel before, but you are strong enough now."

"Then take me." I said quickly. "I don't have any belongings other than what's here, so let's just go." I slid my small bag over my shoulder.

"You are quite eager."

"We both know Asgardians are more suited to fight Surt and his army than Midgardians are. And you're sworn to protect Midgard. So let's take Surt's target away from Midgard."

Thor nodded in agreement. "If you are so ready to leave, let us do so."

I nodded, Thor lifting the transportation device he had used months ago. I took half of the handle, Thor taking the other.

"Take a deep breath and hold on." He said, before he turned the handle.

It felt like going 0 to 60 in one second, and my stomach was flipping aggressively. By the time we landed, I felt like I wanted to hurl. We landed on the end of the broken bifrost, me falling to my hands and knees.

"Do you feel ill?"

"Of course I feel ill! Why wouldn't I feel ill?" I snapped at Thor, who looked a bit like a puppy who had just gotten scolded.

I took in a deep breath of the fresh air and stood, straightening my clothes. "Sorry." I said shortly. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."

Thor shook his head. "It is alright. Though I warn, you will most likely not like the method of getting to the palace if you suffered during the trip."

"What's the method of getting to the pala-" My words were cut short by my screaming as Thor picked me up and swung the hammer into the air, both of us flying over the rainbow bridge and quickly to the palace.

Thor set me down as we made our way past the staring gods, me struggling to walk without wobbling. I quickly followed Thor into the throne room, where I saw Odin sitting quietly. We both got on one knee, putting our hand over our heart.

"Stand, my son and guest." Odin's words allowed us to stand, though my stance became wobbly again. "You are Emmeline, are you not?"

I nodded. "Yes, all-father." I heard him chuckle, my gaze averted.

"Please do not feel so formal with me. You are Freyja, yes?" I nodded again. "Then you are a friend. Please speak to me freely."

I took a deep breath and began my story, filling him in on every detail I knew, which wasn't very much.

"Then you are in need of help."

"Yes." I stated tiredly. "I'm trying to keep Surt from invading my home of Midgard, and I need him to leave me be."

Odin nodded. "I understand. I will send some of my men to speak to Surt and his army. This should be put to rest. For now, however, you look like you could use a rest. Thor, please show her to the guest quarters."

I was lead out of the room and down several large hallways before I passed an open, door, backing up to see the inhabitants.

"Sif." I said, the goddess turning from the warriors three to look at me.

She smiled. "You are here. I had heard rumors of your coming to Asgard. I am glad they were true." God, she was nice.

"Yeah, well, I recently learned taking out the tesseract granted me some more strength. Looks like I can travel to Asgard now."

"Which is how you are here." We both laughed a moment, realizing what I had said.

"Right, well I'm going to get going now. Turns out travelling inter-realm for the first time is quite tiring."

Sif nodded. "That I shall see you when you wake."

I said my farewells and continued to follow Thor, who snickered a bit.

"What?" I asked, Thor stopping.

"I have never seen Lady Sif react so openly to another woman." He said, glancing down at me.

I shrugged. "When we were in New Mexico a year and a half ago, Sif had hoped I would come to Asgard with you guys. I think she likes the idea of being able to talk to Freyja again."

Thor stopped in front of a set of large doors. "Or she enjoys your company. These are your living spaces. I hope they are up to standard." He opened the doors and I was amazed by the room. There was a large bed in the center of the room, covered with furs, and there was a deep tub pushed against one other side of the room was completely wall-less, a long balcony covering the side of the room.

"My god, this place is amazing." I stepped inside and wanted to lay down on the bed the instant I saw it.

"Then you are alright with it?"

I nodded at Thor. "Absolutely. This place is amazing. Thank you for taking me in on such short notice.

Thor smiled. "Heimdall thought you would need assistance soon. I am only glad we could be of help. I shall send someone to get your measurements for clothing."

I nodded and set my bag down. "Thanks, Thor."

He shut the doors and I grinned to myself, jumping into the bed. I rolled in the furs and nearly passed out. I had been staying in motels for the past year and a half, and this was the best bed I'd had. Hell, this is the best bed I'd _ever_ had.

I was about to fall asleep when I heard a knock on the door. I begrudgingly climbed out of the bed, opening the door. Two women came in with a handful of what appeared to be dresses.

The older of the two women came over to me and glanced down at me. "You will need to shed your attire."

I covered my arms. My leather jacket? The one I'd kept with me all these years? "What will happen to my clothes?"

"They shall be disposed of."

I vigorously shook my head. "No, that will be unnecessary. You can just leave the clothes. I'll find something."

"You are to be summoned for the banquet in one hour."

I nodded at the woman, who really seemed to want to change me into a dress. "Yes. I will be there." I lead the women out of my room, shutting the door tightly behind me. There was no way I was going to abandon my leather coat.

I sighed and pulled out one of the dresses, throwing it back in the pile as soon as I saw the corset like waist. I internally groaned. I knew it was Asgardian tradition to hold a banquet when a new person arrived, but I didn't want to do this. There was a chance that Surt was still targeting Earth, and that Odin wouldn't be able to convince him otherwise. Surt hated Odin. It was highly possible he wouldn't agree to anything Odin said.

I laid back on the bed and drifted in and out of sleep, a knock on the door waking me. I rolled out of the comfortable bed and opened the door, one of the women from earlier standing there. She looked horrified.

"You are not dressed."

I glanced down and realized that I was still wearing my jeans and t-shirt. I felt my eyes bug a moment.

"Right. Give me a second. Sorry." I shut the door and headed over to the pile of dresses, pulling out a easy looking one, shedding my own clothes and pulling on the loose, silk dress. I looked around for shoes and realized I didn't have any, opting to stick to my short boots. That made the woman less than happy, however.

"You are to wear formal Asgardian attire. Those shoes are not of Asgard."

I winced a bit at her voice. "The thing is that I don't have any shoes from here. So these will do for now, right? Nobody will actually notice. I mean look. The dress is so long it covers the boots."

She pursed her lips. "It will have to do since you are late. Come."

I followed her like a guilty child, stopping when she reached a set of doors. She left, and the men on both sides opened the doors grandly. I stepped in and saw a large table spanning maybe 100 feet, the table filled with gods and goddesses I knew from Freyja's memories.

Sif smiled and came up to me. "We've been waiting for you."

I smiled guiltily. "Yeah, sorry about that. Technical difficulties."

Sif waved her hand. "It is not of concern. You are, after all, the guest of honor. Come." She lead me past the table and I briefly greeted the gods and goddesses I recognized, Sif placing me in the chair next to hers. I greeted Odin and Frigga, as well as the warriors three.

I glanced around a moment, confused. "Where's Thor?" I asked Sif, who smiled.

"He is retrieving the final guest of this dinner."

I nodded and took a drink from the gold goblet sitting in front of me, nearly spewing.

"What ails you?" Sif asked, genuinely concerned.

I shook my head. "This stuff is strong." The ale had burned as it slid down my throat.

Sif laughed a moment. "Did you not drink in celebration on Midgard."

I shook my head, taking a sip out of another goblet, which proved to be water. "I'm underaged on Migard in where I'm from."

Sif seemed curious at the idea that there was an age restriction on drinking. I glanced up after I set down the water, seeing Thor take his place next to Odin.

"So where'd you go?" I asked him, Thor breaking into an uncomfortable grin.

"I had to fetch someone."

"And who is that?" No sooner had I asked that I heard a voice behind me.

"It's been a long time, mortal."


	15. Chapter 15

**I'm doing a terrible job remembering to update! For that I'm sorry, but I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

_Loki_.

Before anyone could speak, I'd jumped out of my chair and tackled Loki to the ground, pinning him there with my staff as it materialized.

"Emmeline!" Thor's voice didn't even register as I held the staff firmly against Loki's neck.

"Is this the greeting I receive after not being in word with you for months?" Loki struggled to joke, his adam's apple bobbing just above the staff's tip. I felt a pair of large hands on my arms, pulling me back from Loki.

"What is he doing free?" I asked warningly, the staff still in my hands.

Loki stood up and brushed off his clothes, sitting down at the table.

"Father removed his powers." Thor said from behind me.

"When SHIELD handed Loki over, they didn't do it thinking he would be traipsing about Asgard."

"He has been confined to the palace. It is here that he learns his place and receives his punishment."

"Which is what?"

"He is confined to his room and kept under watch."

"What, do you not have prison up here?" I asked, Thor noticing I was calming down. He let go of my arms, opting to place me back in my seat next to Sif. The dinner continued, though I focused intently on Thor's words.

"He has been treated fairly similar to those who Midgardians put in prison."

"Which is why he's at this banquet, right?"

Thor smiled largely. "In honor of your presence, he has been given tonight's freedom."

I smiled humorlessly at Thor. "Yes, because to welcome me to Asgard, it seems wise to bring back the guy who almost destroyed my home."

"May I bring light to the knowledge that it was not by choice, but necessity?" Loki stated calmly while taking a drink.

"Oh really? Then what do you call murdering the man who practically raised me?"

"Loki killed your father?" Sif asked, genuinely concerned.

"No." I replied dryly. "But he did kill someone who treated me better than my father did."

"And a kind man." Thor stated, clearly irked by Loki killing Coulson as well. "But Loki has proven himself innocent of acting by choice. Please consider this."

I grumbled quietly but agreed, knowing I was far out of my realm and couldn't control this. The dinner managed to continue effortlessly, though a lot of it was spent talking to other gods about what happened four months ago with Loki. I remembered that I had one more member of the Avengers I needed to give their trading card, so I reached into the inner linings of my boot, and lifted out Thor's trading card.

"There was a kid on Midgard that wanted me to give this to you, Thor." I handed him the card and he broke into a grin, his laugh echoing across the halls. He passed the card around, bragging of how he was a hero on earth. I continued to eat the food, glad Thor was now taking the lead in the conversation with the other gods about earth. I couldn't really stand the attention.

The dinner lasted nearly four hours and by the time the men had finished boasting of their latest triumphs, it was nearly midnight, and I was beyond exhausted. The guests slowly began to leave, Sif hugging me once before she left, which surprised me greatly. I hadn't known we were that close.

"Has your feast pleased you?" Thor walked over as Sif left.

"Yeah. It's nice to see faces I know." I was still in a bit of a daze.

"But sleep finds you now, yes?"

I nodded at Thor's words, yawning. "I'm going to go back to my room now. Thanks." Thor nodded and I left the banquet hall, walking down the corridors until I reached my room. I headed inside and tiredly pulled off the dress, slipping into my own pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. I crawled into the large bed and sprawled out, finally finding time to go to sleep.

* * *

_"Odin has sent his men, sire."_

_"And they speak of what?"_

_"The girl from Midgard. She has found Odin for protection."_

_"That will not do." _

I jumped awake, clawing at the blankets to find my surroundings. I calmed down when I realized I was in my room on Asgard. I propped myself up and put my elbows on my knees, running a hand through my hair.

"A nightmare?"

I jumped at the voice and looked around my room for its owner, who I spotted standing on the balcony.

"What're you doing in here? Aren't you supposed to be under room arrest?" My voice was hoarse from sleeping.

"During the day. The night, however, I roam." Loki stopped leaning against the balcony's railing, choosing to walk inside.

"And you decide to 'roam' into my room? That hardly seems proper."

He chuckled. "I am only here to learn more of the reincarnated Freyja."

I got out of my bed and pulled on my sweatshirt, crossing my arms. "And you choose to learn about me in the middle of the night? While I'm asleep?"

He smirked. "The time people are most honest are when they are not awake. For example, I learned you are not as secure in your standing as you appear when you're awake."

I scoffed. "I believe you mean that the time people are most _vulnerable_ is when they're asleep. Not honest."

"I hear you are stronger." He changed the subject, wandering about my room.

"Thanks to you." I stated, really wishing he would leave. "It turns out the tesseract gives out energy even when you're shutting it down."

"Then I should appreciate that you are the one to receive it rather than one of your _friends_."

"What would you have done if one of them had become stronger? Surely not try to destroy Midgard again."

He gave me a look that said 'you know I didn't have a choice.' I only stared him down.

"I care more for the knowledge that someone deserving of power receives it."

"And I deserve it more than my friends?"

"Freyja deserves it. Only you are her."

I glared. "Yes, I exist because of Freyja. Yes, I know what Freyja knew. Yes, I can do some of what Freyja did. But Freyja knew who I was when she gave me life, and that includes me _not_ being her." While I knew Asgardians were more likely to accept me, it was only because they thought I was Freyja. It was one of the few things I preferred about humans to Asgardians.

"But this." Loki closed the distance between us, lifting a strand of my hair like he'd done when we met. "This is Freyja. That you are aware of."

"I'm aware I look like her, yes." I pushed Loki's cold hand out of my hair. "But I also look like my father. Who is human. Just because I occur because of someone does not mean I am that person."

"Goddess." Loki corrected. "Freyja was a goddess, not a person."

"Oh, I see." I stated, smirking. "So you seem to care more about Freyja than I would have thought."

Loki narrowed his eyes. "From your standing, you are to give respect to a god when they deserve it, mortal."

"What happened in your book, Loki? I went from being Freyja, to being below her. Which is it?"

He paused a moment. "You are an infuriating woman. I hope you are aware of that." He turned and stormed out of the room.

I snorted. For someone who was supposed to be the god of mischief, he was easily irritated. As I calmed, I looked outside and saw it was getting light. So I'd been able to get maybe six hours of sleep. Not bad. That was more than I had been getting lately.

I headed to the bath and pulled a curtain that was set up to act as a faux door, shedding my pajamas and sliding into the tub. I washed myself quickly and hopped out, drying off and heading over to my bag. I pulled out my jeans and a t-shirt, finding it much more appealing than the Asgardian clothes I'd been supplied with. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and pulled on my boots, leaving my room to head to the throne room. I'd need to talk to Odin about Surt, who clearly didn't intend to leave me alone.

I made it quickly and walked up to the throne, bowing before Odin, who sat silently.

"Rise." He stated quietly, clearly still tired.

I stood and looked at him. "All-father, I dreamt of Surt again. He has no intentions to stop. Even after your men saw him."

Odin nodded slowly. "Then we must know what he is doing always."

I furrowed my brow. "How are we able to do that?"

"Scrying. I shall get my best man to scry for us constantly. It is not like his time could be better spent."

I blinked. "Who is your best man?"

Odin smiled widely. "Loki, of course."

_What_?


	16. Chapter 16

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, All-father, but Loki was stripped of his powers, wasn't he?"

"That he was." Odin stated calmly, clearly oblivious to my being uncomfortable. "But his projections can do no harm. I shall grant him that power, so he can scry."

"And how will you be certain that he's not scrying for other purposes during this time?"

"You can keep guard of him, can you not? I trust since you are most involved in this matter, you will show it the highest concern." I went to speak but he cut me off. "If you prefer, I can send more of my men to speak-"

"No!" I quickly jumped. "That's alright. Scrying will do."

"Then I will speak to Loki and reinstate those powers this afternoon."

"Thank you." I bowed quickly and left the room, heading back to my own quarters, where I sprawled across my bed. I fell into a light sleep, only to be awakened by an intense banging on my door.

I got up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, wandering over to the door. I opened one of the doors and was met by three women coming in, the two from yesterday, as well as a new, younger woman.

"C-can I help you?" I didn't quite know what to do as the women barged in, throwing dresses all over. This seemed very similar to yesterday.

The oldest of the women turned to me. "Your attire last night was not fitting for meeting with royalty. Before you shall go any further, you will receive a new wardrobe. Come stand here." Her strong tone made me oblige, waiting as the other two women measured me and literally began pulling off my clothes, slipping an amber, off the shoulder, dress over my head. One of the girls began lacing the back of the corset, while the other had me step into a pair of heeled boots, which she promptly laced up. One of the women began pulling my hair back and laced a ribbon through it, the women finishing their job in maybe twenty minutes. It seemed like a record of sorts.

"We shall come to dress you every day so you are presentable." The oldest woman stated, the three leaving with the leftover clothing.

You would think I didn't know how Asgardians dressed. I really didn't need to be babied, but clearly I was going to be. I felt this tied back into the idea that I wasn't Freyja, but seeing as I was on Asgard, I figured I should at least try to look the part. Maybe it'd make things easier to deal with. But I really didn't like the corset part of the dress. There was a reason women stopped wearing corsets.

I left my room and headed back toward the throne room so I could ask Odin if he had reinstated Loki's scrying, but I was stopped on the way by Thor, who was grinning wildly.

"My father has faith." He stated simply, grabbing me by my left arm. "He has given Loki his ability to scry again."

I smiled uneasily at Thor, not wanting to disappoint him by telling him Odin was doing it because of me.

"That's great." I stated, realizing I didn't need to go find Odin anymore. "You should go inform Sif and the warriors three. I'm sure they'd love to hear."

Thor smiled and nodded, continuing down the hall quickly. I turned and knew I would need to find Loki to make sure he was scrying for the correct purposes, but then I realized I didn't know where he would be. I heard footsteps and saw two guards standing before me. The one on the right spoke.

"The All-Father has requested we guide you to Prince Loki's chambers." Well that worked out well.

I followed the two men until they stopped where there were another two men guarding a set of doors, which I assumed to be Loki's room. The two men who had guided me bowed and left, one of the men guarding the door staring down at me.

"State your purpose." You would think Odin would have told them, wouldn't you?

"I am to keep watch over Loki while he is scrying."

The man nodded gruffly and knocked once on the door before it opened from the inside. Loki stuck his head out like an annoyed teenager, glancing from me to the guard I'd just spoken to.

"What is she doing here?" My god, did nobody share information around here?

"I'm here to watch you scry." I stated simply, Loki sneering briefly before opening the door enough for me to slip in.

I heard the door shut behind me, but I was busy looking around the room. It was quite fantastic looking, actually. It was probably twice the size of my room, and had a front section with couches, a few decorative columns, and a wall filled completely with what appeared to be spell books.

"Odin warned me I was to be kept under watch while I was scrying." I glanced back to Loki, who was slowly making his way toward one of the couches. "I wasn't made aware it would be _you_ who was keeping watch."

I smiled sarcastically and curtsied. "At your service. But don't you think that as this matter pertains to me, I should be the one who sees what you're seeing?"

He sighed and dropped his body lazily onto a couch facing the balcony, running a hand through his hair.

"I suppose so. But I had believed Odin would take higher precautions than to just let a mortal run around and take control like this."

"Keep in mind who this mortal is. And that I'm the reason you're scrying."

He glanced at me. "Odin never formally made me aware of what I am to do. Would you be so kind as to share?" He gestured to the couch across from him, so I sat, struggling to take a breath from the corset a moment.

I didn't like the idea of sounding weak, especially in the eyes of the man who already viewed me as worthless, but I still had to tell him.

"Surt's aware that I exist and he doesn't like that. One bit." A faint smile appeared on his lips. "I'm not really sure as to what made him aware I exist, but I've been having a few dreams about it, and he wants to take me out."

"Then you were aware you could not fight a king on your own, so you came to Asgard."

"Yes. But his intentions to harm me are still there. I've seen them."

Loki leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, hands folded. "Then you need me to inform you of Surt's plans and actions."

"Yep. I'd rather be able to stop him now before any attacks are made."

Loki nodded. "Very well." He sat straight up and closed his eyes.

"W-wait a second." I said quickly, Loki opening one eye to stare at me.

"Yes?"

"I'm here to make sure you don't scry for the wrong reasons. How am I to be sure of that you're scrying for me?"

Loki smirked. "Do you believe I have poor intentions?"

"Don't expect me to just trust you after what you've done. I understand you were acting in your own best interest, but that doesn't make me forgive you for what you did immediately."

He narrowed his eyes. "Alright." He moved the pillow on the couch next to him. "Come." He patted the spot and I didn't move, eyeing him. He sighed and stood up, moving next to me. He put his hand out, palm up, staring at me again. "If you intend to observe what I do, then you have to make physical contact with me. It is the only way I can let you into my mind."

I hesitantly put my hand out, Loki grabbing it quickly, rolling his eyes.

"You would believe I had a disease." He muttered quietly, though I still heard him. "Close your eyes." He stated aloud.

I closed my eyes and gasped. The feeling of scrying to another world was odd, to say the least. When I had been scrying on earth, it felt normal. I could see everything, but I could feel it now. I felt like I was traveling to Muspelheim. I felt like I landed on the hot ground.

"Sincerest apologies for not being able to get closer to Surt." Loki stated. I could even hear him. "I only know Muspelheim so well. Come." He began to pull me along toward the large structure in front of us, silently passing the guards who didn't even seem to notice.

We made it to the main room and saw Surt sitting on his throne, two men standing guard.

"He appears to not be very interested in your being." Loki whispered quietly, a man passing us as he kneeled in front of Surt.

"Sire, the men from Asgard have been sent back. Do you have plans for the girl?"

"I stand corrected." Loki muttered, though my attention was on the conversation at hand.

Surt sat up and ran a hand over his aged face, glancing down at the man who had just spoken. "Her presence is a danger, is it not?"

"I have not seen much, sire. I fear she is being blocked from my vision." That was news to me.

"Then we cannot keep watch over her actions."

"Perhaps she is just protected by Asgard. It is not worth a war if this is the case. She is only a mortal."

"But her being a mortal is the situation. Mortals have the lowest level of intelligence of the realms."

"But sire, she knows what Freyja knew, therefore she is not only a mortal." I liked this guy. He was trying to get Surt off my case.

"Then we will watch her." Surt stated. "Gather our wisest men, and use them to watch her. Follow her every move." Surt rose from his throne and left the room, leaving his informant watching him, scared.

"Would you like to stay?" Loki asked quietly, realizing Surt had most likely finished giving us information.

"Let's follow Surt's right hand man." I stated breathily, gesturing to the fire giant who had been speaking to Surt. "I'll bet he's got something."

Loki nodded and we began to follow the man, though I stopped quickly. Loki turned to look at me, confused.

"What ails you?"

I put a finger up. "Moment...please." I bent over and tried to take a deep breath, failing miserably.

"Emmeline, you cannot break this connection if you want to continue to track that man."

"Screw it." I quickly said, dropping my hand from Loki's, everything going black.


	17. Chapter 17

**So I saw a question regarding Surt and why he wants to get rid of Emmeline from buttonpokes. A brief answer, since a lot of detail will be put into later chapters with Surt, but Surt wants to kill Emmeline because she's a human with a lot of power and knowledge that belongs to gods, and he sees humans as the stupidest and weakest of all of the realms, and he thinks it's his responsibility to end Emmeline's life, seeing as she's too stupid to handle a god's abilities. He also just really hates Asgardians, so any reason to kill someone involved with them is good enough for him. ****Hope that explains it!**

**And YoungBloodSpillsTonight, I'm glad you like my story! And as for slow developing romance, I swear it'll start to develop soon. Maybe even just barely in this chappie? Wink, wink, nod, nod.**

* * *

It felt odd. To break the connection made while scrying, that is. It felt like being torn apart, but not quite, considering I hadn't physically traveled during scrying. I came back to reality physically in pain, however. Though it didn't have to do with breaking the scrying connection.

"Help!" I gasped, Loki scrambling around the room, confused as to what I needed.

"Are you hurt? Do you need medical attention?"

"Can't...breathe." I knew it was the damn corset that was suffocating me, but I couldn't seem to put it into words. I only pointed desperately, Loki seeming to undertand what I meant.

"Then I am granted permission to touch you?" He asked, trying to be gentlemanly. Screw manners, just get the damn corset the hell off of me.

I nodded quickly, Loki running behind me. I heard the tearing of fabric and the strings binding the corset fell limp, causing me to fall over onto the couch as well. I greedily sucked in air, coughing a bit as well.

"What is wrong with these women? Wearing death traps like that!" I took breaths between nearly every word, my lungs beginning to relax a bit, the air satiating the burning.

"I take it you are not familiar with Asgardian clothes."

"Freyja may have worn them, but that doesn't mean I ever have. And why do I need a corset anyway? It's not like I'm totally hopeless and need something to help me suck it in!" I heard Loki chuckle and I snapped my head up to glare at him.

"I apologize." He stated between laughs. "But most women of Asgard appreciate the look because potential suitors find it attractive."

I sat up "Well whatever their reasons, I do _not_ want to be wearing a freaking corset the whole time I'm here." I felt the dress' shoulder slip down my arm and I went to push it back up, but it didn't stay. I looked up at Loki. "What did you do to the back of the dress?" I stated slowly, worried as to how I looked from the back.

Loki's mouth formed a thin line as he chose his words. "You appeared to be in dire straits, so I was provided with no alternative but to-"

"Loki, what did you do to the dress?" I repeated myself, standing up.

"I ripped the dress." He spoke quietly, but just loud enough for me to hear him.

I put a hand up to my back and felt that indeed, the entire back of the dress, as well as the corset, had been torn. But let's be honest. The corset deserved it.

"Clothing." I stated simply. "I need clothing."

Loki nodded, clearly apologetic. "I shall inform the guards of-"

"No!" I quickly stopped him. He watched me curiously. "I don't want anyone to be aware of the fact that I'm practically naked in here."

"You are not practically naked, but I do understand the concern of not wanting a reason for others to speak of a torn dress in a Prince's room."

I gaped a moment, realizing what he was saying. "N-nobody will think that, right?"

Loki shrugged, clasping his hands together. "I cannot be certain. Though I believe it best that you borrow something for now." He pointed to a door farther into the room. "That is my closet. Feel free to fetch something of your standards."

I nodded slowly and began to head to the room, before I remembered the back of my dress, continuing the path to the door with my back against the walls.

I opened the door and stepped into the room, amazed by the vastness of it all. There were literally rows and rows of capes, armor, pants, and shirts. I saw Loki's infamous horned helmet sitting on a stand in the middle of the room, and resisted the urge to put it on and rant of how powerful the god of mischief was.

Instead, I found a dark green cloak with gold stitching around the edges, and I pulled it on, the cloak almost looking like it went with the dress, which appeared normal from the front. The heavy fabric weighted on my shoulders, and I had to pick up the bottom of it to keep it from dragging, but I left the closet, finding Loki sitting on the couch with his eyes closed.

I sat down on the couch opposite him, not interested in scrying at the moment. I was still a bit nauseous from the first bout, and I waited until he opened his eyes again.

"Did you see anything interesting?" I asked, hoping he had learned more.

He shook his head once. "Surt has his men doing their best to watch you, but they cannot even find you."

I furrowed my brow. "How come they can't find me?"

"When Odin gave me my scrying back, that came with the ability to put protective charms over what should not be scried upon."

"Are you trying to say that you're keeping them from watching me?"

He nodded once. "To put it rather simply, yes. That is what I am doing."

"Do you think they'll figure it out and do the same thing on their men and Surt?"

"Perhaps," Loki stated, pondering the thought. "Though Surt's strongest men cannot compare to my abilities. Even if they attempt to block me, I am likely to easily get past their defenses."

I nodded. "Well that sounds like a plan to me." There was a knock on the door and Loki stood, striding to the door.

He opened it briefly, turning back to me. "You are expected for supper in one hour."

"I should go then." I stood, wrapping the cloak around me tightly. I headed for the door and passed Loki, stepping into the hallway, which was empty, save the two guards standing watch. "I'll return this tomorrow." I gestured to the cloak as subtly as I could, Loki shaking his head.

"I have plenty. I will see you tomorrow for more scrying at noon."

I nodded. "Right. Goodnight." I turned and headed back to my room, luckily avoiding most of the people wandering through the halls. I made it into my room and shed the cloak, checking out how much damage had been done to the dress in the mirror. It was destroyed. There was literally a huge gash through the fabric, and the corset was only on my body by a few strings that hadn't been torn apart. Remind me to go to Loki if I ever need help opening a jar.

I pulled off the ruined clothes and found a dress that didn't have a corset in it, slipping into it and tying the back. Seeing as I had some time before dinner, I thought about Surt. He didn't like that I was a mortal. It made sense, but was that really reason enough to kill me? And even if he thought it was, then why did he believe he was the one who held the power to decide who lived and who died?

I was called for dinner and I entered the hall, the table set for a lot less people. Odin, Frigga, and Thor were already sitting, Sif, Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun entering the same time as I did. We all sat, Sif happily taking a seat next to me.

"So tell me," Sif stated, once we were well into dinner. "What did you do on Midgard?" I set down my fork and wiped my mouth, Sif and the warriors three watching me, clearly curious.

"Nothing too exciting." I replied. "I started working for SHIELD when I was fairly young, so I haven't done much but work."

"You were a trained soldier, yes?"

I shook my head at Sif's words. "I was hired out because I know everything Freyja knew, which SHIELD thought might come in handy someday. Then Thor showed up five years later, and I actually could've helped. After the situation, however, I quit working for SHIELD."

"I remember meeting you," Sif smiled. "I had hoped you would come to Asgard for the reason that you belong here."

I shook my head vigorously. "Not really. I'm human, and this is a god's world."

"But Freyja was a Vanir." Fandral stated. "She was a goddess before Asgardians were gods, which proves you belong here."

"That's what Freyja was, but I am Midgardian. There's not much else to it."

"Then do you plan to go back to Midgard?" The look in Sif's eyes told me she wanted me to stay.

"It's my home. Me staying on Asgard would be like any of you staying on Midgard."

"But you have your past here." Sif tried to argue.

"And my present is on Midgard. I plan to stay here long enough to handle what's going on with Surt, and then I'm going back to Midgard." The discussion ended with my words, though I could tell Sif still wanted to talk to me about my decision.

The dinner went smoothly after that, Odin and Frigga retiring to their room. Though I could tell the younger generation had something else in store.

"Shall we retire to the sitting room?" The smirk on Thor's face told me more happened in this room than sitting.

Volstagg jumped at the idea, Fandral and Hogun both following, albeit a little less enthusiastically, Sif turning to me.

"Do you care to join us?"

"As fun as that sounds, I'm going to go to sleep. I'll see you guys tomorrow." I felt bad saying no, considering the look on Sif's face when I did, but I just didn't feel like going.

I said my goodnights and left the dining hall, making my way back to my room. I had finally been able to catch up on the sleep I'd lost, and now I wasn't tired at all. I wandered around the room, standing on the balcony for a bit. The cool breeze came through the window, and I glanced at the view, the rainbow bridge in plain sight. I glanced to the end of it, and was surprised to see the large, gold dome that was the bifröst._ Had it been rebuilt?_

"The rebuilding of the bifröst is almost complete." The voice shocked me. I hadn't been expecting anyone else tonight. But it didn't surprise me that when I turned to find out who the voice belonged to, I learned it was Loki.

"Do you just plan on coming into my room every night?" I asked tiredly, praying this wouldn't become a nightly occurrence.

"Perhaps. It is all dependent upon how much I learn."

I sighed, not wanting to play games. "And what're you trying to learn, Loki?"

"More." He stated simply, glancing at me before his eyes went back to the bifröst. "About you."


	18. Chapter 18

**So I'm updating twice in one day. This is because I'm going to Knott's Berry Farm tomorrow. Why go in 90 degree weather, you ask? Because my friend wants to, so I'm accompanying him. But this means I won't be able to update tomorrow since I won't be home all day, so I'm updating tonight.**

**IMPORTANT: Since I make such crappy titles, and I just learned you can change said crappy titles, I'm changing the name of this story. It shall now be known as Emmeline. Original, right? So I apologize to all of you who get an alert saying "New Chapter: Emmeline" and you have no idea what the hell is going on. I plan on changing it after I publish this chappie, so y'all shouldn't have the problem about a weird, new named alert.**

* * *

"I'm not an interesting person."

"I disagree. I have come across not a single reincarnation of a god in my years, and yet here you stand, in Asgard. That is something I find highly intriguing. So explain it to me."

"I don't have to explain anything to you, Loki." The whole buddy buddy routine was getting old. I wasn't his friend, no matter how close he was to Freyja.

"I thought it was made clear I was not destroying your realm by choice."

"But you killed Phil, Loki. That was by choice."

He was silent a moment. "I apologize for killing your friend, but I had no other choice."

I folded my arms and turned to Loki. "Really? Because you could have _not_ killed him. It's not that hard, actually. You just turn the other cheek. You had what you wanted, you could've just teleported to your team. You didn't need to kill Phil."

"I was not aware he was your friend-"

"Would that have changed anything? If you had known Phil was a friend, would you have let him live?"

Loki looked down. "No."

I nodded. "For the god of lies, that seemed pretty honest." I turned and left my room, making it halfway down the hallway before two guards stopped me.

"Heimdall has requested your presence."

Unaware of what he needed, I followed the men, who lead me to a stable, where they both mounted black horses, a tan Akhal-Teke standing between them. I was surprised to see an Akhal-Teke. Sure, I was on Asgard, but I had only seen the rare breed of horse when I was in Russia, and that was once.

A stable boy helped me onto the horse, the guards leading me out onto the rainbow bridge, the trip to Heimdall taking longer than I would have expected. As we arrived, the guards stopped about 100 feet away from the rebuilt shell of a Bifröst, leaving me to walk the rest of the way by myself. I stopped in front of Heimdall.

"You needed me?"

He slowly looked down at me, nodding. "Follow me." He lead me into the Bifröst, and I heard a light humming running through it. "Those from Midgard wish to speak to you."

I was surprised, to say the least. I hadn't thought I would get a "call" so soon.

"Hello?" I said hesitantly, not exactly sure as to how communication from this end of the call worked.

"_Emmeline Rose, this is Agent Howards. Over_."

"Agent Howards, what can I do for you? Over."

"_We have a request for you to come back to Earth ASAP. Over_." I knew it was morning time in New York, but I was confused. I didn't work for SHIELD anymore. They couldn't just request me.

"Who's asking for my return? Over."

"_A Mr. and Mrs. Rose. Over._" My parents? I hadn't spoken to either one of them since I was thirteen and left for SHIELD.

"And if I don't respond? Over?"

"_They're waiting in the lobby of HQ and have sworn to stay until you come. Over._"

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Right, well I'll pay a quick visit. Expect me in twenty. Over."

"_Copy that. Over and out_." The humming stopped and I glanced at Heimdall, who stood silently.

"You want to explain what my parents want, Heimdall?"

He briefly glanced at me. "They share concern for your wellbeing."

I snorted. "Heimdall, we both know that's not true. Do you want to tell me the real reason?"

"They seek reunification, for they have lost their connection with you."

_Great. So they wanted something out of me._

"Thanks, Heimdall. Do you have the tesseract?"

He nodded. "I am in possession, yes."

"Then I'll come back after I change." I headed out of the Bifröst and back onto the horse, riding back to the stables, before I headed back up to my room, where I saw Loki waiting.

"I saw your ride to Heimdall from my room. What did he call you for?"

I grabbed my jeans and t shirt, heading behind the curtain that separated the bathroom from the main room.

"I'm wanted on Midgard. I'll be back before sunrise, so there's no need to worry anyone about it." I pulled on my clothes and stepped back out, slipping into my boots and leather jacket.

"You plan to travel alone?"

I nodded, tying my hair back in a ponytail. "Like I said. No need to worry anyone." I slung my bag over my shoulder and made my way to the door of the bedroom, heading back out to Heimdall. He stood, holding the tesseract in its case.

"The strength of the tesseract will affect you differently than when you traveled with Thor. He absorbed most of its power, but it will be left to you if you travel alone."

So that wouldn't be the safest thing for me to do. But I didn't really have another choice.

I took the case from Heimdall. "Thanks for the warning."

"Wait!" I turned and saw Sif, jumping quickly off her horse. "I shall join you."

"I can travel alone, Sif."

"Nonsense. I am already here. And without a god, you are likely to be hurt by the strength of the tesseract."

Well I guess she _could_ be helpful.

"Then let's make this brief." I handed her the other half of the container, and she turned it, a blue light bringing us back to earth. We landed in a remote part of New York City, and I took a moment to gather my bearings, the travel a little better this time.

"Where are we to go?" Sif's voice brought me back, and I began leading the way, getting a few stares as we walked down the streets of New York, though it didn't surprise me, what with the tall, slender goddess in leather and armor walking next to me.

We made it to SHIELD headquarters and went inside, and I spotted Agent Howards pacing furiously.

"Agent Howards." I stated loud enough for him to hear.

He stopped pacing when he saw me, a look of relief coming to his face. "Emmeline. Thank god you're here. Your parents are going nuts." He glanced at Sif, doing a double take. "Emmeline, who's this?"

"Agent Howards, this is Sif, Sif, this is Ronald Howards."

Howards grinned and shook hands with Sif, clearly in euphoria. Sif, however, looked a bit confused by Agent Howards.

"Anyway, Agent Howards, you said my parents are nuts. Where are they?"

Howards brought his attention back to me. "Right. We stuck them in the meeting room. Follow me."

We all stepped into the elevator, the doors closing and the small elevator crawling upwards.

"This place is very different from the one I visited last time I was on Midgard." Sif stated, looking around the elevator.

"New Mexico is a bit more spread out than this part of New York, I'll give you that." I said, the elevator slowing to a stop. We all stepped out and I immediately heard the louds, yet muffled voice of my mother.

I turned to look at Sif, who was curiously looking down the hallway.

"You should probably stay here."

She glanced down at me. "And for what reason?"

"I haven't seen my parents in almost seven years, so they're probably not open to strangers right now. I'll just go deal with them, then we can go back to Asgard, alright?"

Sif nodded, albeit reluctantly. "I shall abide by your request, but if I fear you are in danger, I shall intervene."

I smiled at her words. "Thanks Sif, but I don't think I'll be in danger. They're only my parents." _Yeah. Parents that kicked out their thirteen year old daughter._

Well this would be a fun reunion.


	19. Chapter 19

**I saw a question from Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape, who asked why Emmeline's parents kicked her out. This is explained in this chappie in the interaction between Emmeline in her parents, but to put it simply, her mom was embarrassed by her crazy-talk daughter, and her dad thought it was unnerving when Emmeline was around. Just a lot of her parents not understanding her, and therefore not accepting her.**

* * *

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door, the room going silent. The door opened and an agent stuck her head out, her face displaying an immense amount of relief when she saw me.

"Thank god you're here, Emmeline."

"She's here? Finally!" I heard my mother's loud voice from in the room. I glanced at the agent, who gave me an exasperated look.

"You can leave. Thank you for keeping them at bay." She nodded and left, me entering the room.

"Oh Emmeline!" I felt the rush of wind, and the lack of breath thereof as my mother grasped me in a bone crushing hug. She pulled me back and I was able to finally get a good look at the woman who'd nearly abandoned me seven years ago. She had changed significantly in those seven years. Her forehead was shiny with too much botox, her hair straw-like from the extensive bleaching she'd done to it.

"We're so glad you're alright!" She gestured to my father, who stood quietly, the look on his face saying he wasn't entirely comfortable being here.

"What would make you think I'm not alright?" I turned my attention back to my mom, asking her plainly. She had thought I was mentally unstable when I was little, and when SHIELD came along to find me, she willingly carted me out to them. She didn't seem that concerned the day I left.

"Honey, you were involved in an inter-galactic war. As parents, we had all the reason to be concerned."

"I thought you gave up your parental status when you gave me to SHIELD." It came out harsh, but I was only stating the truth. "And besides. That happened four months ago. Why wouldn't you have contacted me sooner after the war?" I sat down at one of the table, leaving my mother to go sit with my father across the table from me. She obliged, tentatively folding her hands.

"We-we were busy. We had some matters to attend to, but we wanted to see you."

"Was this before or after you realized it had been seven years since I've been gone?" Guilt rang through my mother's eyes, though I wasn't sure if it was because she felt guilty for leaving me, or because she had been caught in a lie.

"Emmeline, you have to understand. As parents, we didn't know what was going on with our daughter, who claimed to know things people shouldn't know."

"_Claim? _Are you still saying that after all these years, and after all of this_evidence _of what I've said, you still think I'm___claiming t_o have these memories?" I cut her off before she could speak again. "What are you doing here? And don't try to lie to me. I seem to have the ability to seek out the truth in others."

She stuttered a moment. "Y-you're our daughter-"

"I said don't lie, mom. You were never very good at it. Did you think I wasn't aware of what you thought of me growing up? I know you were horrified that your daughter was saying things that had no proof. I know you were embarrassed when I would come home from play dates with the parents of other children telling you about how I missed Odin and Frigga. I know you hated when I said I wanted a twin brother like Freyr. I know all of it, mother. So what makes you think that for one second, I would buy anything you have to say about _missing _me?" I was standing, now, completely furious. My mom only wanted me back now because I was part of a team of heroes. She loved the idea that her daughter wasn't a daughter that was nuts, but a daughter she could show off to all of her friends.

"It's weird, Emmeline." I turned when I heard my father's voice. He looked a bit shocked, though mostly uncomfortable. "I didn't ever feel like things settled down in my house when you were there. You just made the house feel odd." He stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yes, we came today because your mother wanted to reconnect with you. Maybe her intentions aren't the best, but would you rather never see her again? Would you rather live without a mother?"

"I've already done that for enough years." I stated coldly. "I've grown up for what feels like most of my life without either a mother or a father, and I'm alright with that. Consider myself emancipated." I turned and left the room, hearing footsteps behind me.

"Emmeline, please." I whipped around to see my mother, her lower lip trembling. "Just give me a chance."

I shook my head. "You had thirteen years worth of chances. They're over now." Sif placed a hand on my shoulder, clearly to calm me. "By the way, _mom,_ this is Sif. I'm sure you remember her from when I told you about the time Hrungnir threatened to kill all of the gods but Freyja and Sif." She glanced at Sif and back at me, though I spoke quickly. "I hope your trip home is safe. Goodbye."

I turned and headed toward the elevator, followed shortly by Sif. We stepped into the elevator and the doors shut, Sif and I alone now.

"That did not go well, I take it." Sif's words were cautious.

"It didn't do much but reaffirm what I believed of my parents. I didn't expect a joyous reunion."

"Nonetheless, families are bound by a stronger force than just blood. I see your bond has been fully lost."

"You know, I don't think I ever had one, Sif." The elevator doors opened and we headed outside, making our way to the location from which we landed.

"Then the man you spoke of at the banquet on Asgard. He was your family?" I shook my head, the thought of Coulson being one I seemed to be thinking a lot about lately.

"He was a friend. And one of the first people to believe me about what I said. But I had all of you in my thoughts." I said, thinking of all of Freyja's memories. "I think the idea that I knew people who treated each others like family though they weren't related was something that helped me to get through the idea that I was alone."

"Then I am glad we were able to help." Sif stated, holding the tesseract out for me to take. "I do not know you well, Emmeline, but I do think of you as family, and I hope one day you can think of me as family as well."

I smiled at Sif's kind words. Words I had never really heard before. I didn't respond as Sif turned the case, us traveling back through space to get to Asgard. We arrived right outside of the bifröst, Heimdall taking the tesseract from Sif.

"You are no longer needed on Midgard, I take it?" Heimdall asked, though his eyes betrayed what he knew.

"No." I replied. "I'm not. If you receive any more messages from Midgard for, please make sure they're emergencies first."

Heimdall nodded and bowed slightly. "As you wish."

Sif and I left the bifröst and got onto our horses, making our way back to the palace, where Sif headed to her room. I wandered through the halls slowly as I made it to my own room.

I had thought that I would feel no different after speaking to my parents. After all, they did nothing for me, so why should I feel anything for them? But I had been wrong. I was surprisingly shaken by the events that had taken place. I had known my entire life that my parents didn't feel like I was their daughter, but actually hearing it come from my father was a different matter. It felt so much more real now. And maybe it wasn't the good kind of real.

I opened the door to my bedroom and was pleased to see Loki was gone. I changed into pajamas and crawled into the bed, trying to let sleep find me, but I found nothing. _You just made the house feel odd._ It was something no one wanted to hear no matter how much they knew it was true.

Dawn approached slowly and I pulled my tired body out of bed and washed off, the three women from yesterday coming in again. They put me in a silk dress, without a corset, and put my hair up on my head, slipping my feet into another pair of heels before they disappeared without a sound.

I wandered around the room a few moments before I left my room to get some food, inhaling the food quickly before I headed outside. It was a warm morning, and I had some time before I had to go scrying with Loki. I wandered through the gardens and felt my muscles begin to relax. _You just made the house feel odd._ My muscles tensed again at the thought and I headed inside, slowly making my way to Loki's room. The guards automatically let me inside and I found Loki reading a book.

"You are early." He stated, not taking his eyes away from the book.

"I didn't have much else to do. And I'm not _that _early."

He shut the book and nodded curtly. "Then let us begin." He sat down and put out his hand silently, which I sat and took. He scried for a few hours, and came up short, nothing new being planned by Surt. When he finished and we had returned to his room, he stood up and let go of my hand, heading back to his book.

"We will continue again tomorrow at noon." I stood up hesitantly and nodded, leaving and heading back to my own room.

Dinner went smoothly and I managed to get back to my room without being taken to the sitting room, where I changed into my own clothes.

I crawled into the bed tiredly and curled up, falling into a deep sleep, not even noticing that Loki didn't come to my room that night.


	20. Chapter 20

**I may or may not update tomorrow, depending on how much time I have to write. Even though it's summer, I've been super busy, but I'll do my best to update tomorrow.**

* * *

"How has the scrying been?"

"It's gone well, All-father. Though there hasn't been much progression in the last week. Surt has only been trying to watch me, which he has failed at doing."

"That is good news. Inform me when you hear of any of his plans."

"Yes, All-father." I stood and left the throne room, postponing my trip to Loki's room by taking the long route. He'd been acting very strangely the past week, and it was a bit scary, to say the least. He had gone from considering me an intriguing person to barely even registering I was near him, and it had happened quite suddenly. I wasn't sure what had caused it, but keeping myself out of his way seemed like the easiest way to solve the problem. Yeah, so I was procrastinating. Something I had never done before, but it served my purpose well.

After an extra twenty minutes, I made it to Loki's room, the guards letting me in. I silently stepped into the room, not seeing Loki anywhere. I glanced around the front foyer of his room, not seeing, or hearing, anything.

"Loki?" I made my way deeper into the room, glancing around, still no sight of Loki anywhere. "Loki, are you here?" _Of course he is. He can't just leave when he's under room arrest._ I heard a slight noise from across the room. I headed over to one of the several doors.

"Loki?" I knocked on the door, and receiving no response, I opened it, surprised at what I saw. The room was no bigger than a normal bedroom on Earth, but it had what appeared to be thousands of papers all over the walls, handwriting covering them. Seeing Loki nowhere, and wanting to postpone scrying, I stepped into the room and began reading the notes covering the walls, surprised at what I saw. A lot of them were regarding the scrying Loki and I had done the past week. There were thorough details of every day's discoveries, and even notes on things we hadn't learned much of. I was amazed at the effort Loki had put in, considering he never seemed very interested.

I continued deeper into the room, and saw more notes, only these seemed a little bit different._ The ability of scrying, though confined to the realm currently being resided upon._ I read another. _Easily convinced a group of dwarves to return to Nidarvellir._ The notes continued.

_I knew these words. I knew these words so well I had lived them._

"What are you doing in here?" I jumped at the voice and turned, seeing an irritated Loki standing in the doorway.

I struggled to find an excuse as to why I was snooping through his notes. "I-I was looking for you."

"And when you saw I was not in here, you thought it wise to end your search, and begin a new one?"

"I saw you were taking notes on Surt and I wanted to see how much you knew about him that I didn't know."

"And how much did you learn?" He wanted a game, did he? I'd give him a game.

"Oh I don't know, not much that I didn't already know."

He sneered. "Do not lie to me."

"Lie? To you?" I laughed. "Because it'd be so useful to lie to the God of lies and mischief, right?"

He crossed the room in two steps, the papers fluttering around as the wind whirled past them. "What are you seeking?"

"I believe I should be asking you that. How much do you know about me, Loki? When we met again after a year, I knew you had been keeping tabs on me, but how many tabs do you have?"

He opened his mouth, shutting his mouth just as quickly. "I wanted to know more."

"You keep saying that, Loki. You want to know more. But what are you even learning it for?"

"Can one not just want to learn?"

"Not when it's you, Loki." I was pissed. And unfortunately I started taking it out on the wrong person.

"Do you _dare_ find that I am so different from others? Am I so _horrid_ of a person to no better be allowed to learn about a person?"

"When it's _me_, Loki! I am not some person who is worth learning about! I wasn't worth learning about a year ago, and I'm not worth learning about now! Your time would be better spent on something else."

"Like protecting your life?" He sounded exasperated. "I return to Asgard and am confined to a prison-like sentence, then you arrive. I am given an ability of mine back, and it is to protect you. If I am to protect something, then I must know everything about it."

"Then what's with all the information about me from a year and a half ago?"

"I-I have never known of a mortal who has acted as you have. Your intentions are pure, and yet your approach to find them are rough. You are simply a human, and yet you confront those from other realms with a strength far more than your own." He was calming down, his voice getting soft. "You defend Midgard, yet you have received nothing in it for return. These are not the traits of a normal human."

"I'm odd, right?" My father's words rung through my head again. "Nothing's normal when I'm around."

Loki shook his head. "You are gifted, not odd. Those who do not accept who you are fear what they do not understand."

I glanced at him. "You were scrying when I went back to Migard, weren't you?"

"Had I known it would upset you as much as it has, I would not have done it."

"And what surprises you more? The fact that I wouldn't have wanted it, or the fact that my parents were complete assholes?"

His lips formed a thin line, as he was clearly annoyed. "I understand why you left your life behind so young. Your parents, however, I find disgraceful. To not understand something because you cannot see it? To subject your child to damnation because you are too close minded to appreciate the knowledge of which your daughter has been bestowed upon. It is ludicrous. You had every reason to leave, and for that, I applaud you."

I felt a smile tug at the corner of my mouth. "And I applaud you for knowing how to make a girl feel better." He smiled. "It's ridiculous, though." I said, crossing my arms. "I know for years that my parents were embarrassed by me, and yet once I hear it aloud, it becomes another matter entirely."

"Words do more damage than thoughts."

"You sound like you know that pretty well."

He nodded disdainfully. "Though my story is one for another time."

"Why?" I asked, folding my arms. "It's been Emmeline story time for far too long. I find it hardly fair that you know so much about me, and I know so little about you."

He laughed quietly. "You know all Freyja knew. You know me as well as I know you. In any case, we are late." He gestured to the main room.

I nodded and we headed into the main room, sitting down and beginning scrying like we had been doing the past week. Only now, things seemed calmer. More natural.

Until we got to scrying, that is.


	21. Chapter 21

**Wow! So I was actually able to finish this chappie today. Yay!**

**And WulfLuvr22, I've never been amazing at writing romance (though I always write it), but there is a sloooowwwww progression of romance in this story. Hopefully I can get it moving along soon, but I apologize for not getting really into it yet.**

* * *

"We need to tell Odin."

"Lead the way."

Both of us jumped off the couch and ran to the door, the guards putting down their spears to block the exit.

"Prince Loki has been confined to his room."

"That's beside the point now!" I yelled, pushing the two guards spears apart. "I need his help!"

The men deliberated briefly before they removed the spears, Loki rushing past me, forcing me to run to keep up with his long strides. We rushed into the throne room, where Odin seemed surprised to see Loki.

"You are confined to your room, Loki." We both bowed at his words, Loki taking the lead, seeing as how I was having such a hard time catching my breath.

"Kind All-father, I beseech you. Surt has formed plans."

Odin looked surprised. "Then show me."

Loki stood and walked up to Odin, placing his hand on his arm, Odin's face showing recognition as the memories passed through him we had just seen. Since Surt had been unable to see me for the past week, he was planning to start a war. Odin nodded in understanding and Loki returned to his position next to me.

"Has he spoken of when he plans to attack?" Odin asked.

"When the leaves turn to gold."

Odin thought over Loki's words, nodding. "Then we have time. Time to disuade Surt from starting a war, and time to prepare if he does not head our warnings. You two will return to scrying to inform me if anything happens."

We bowed again and left, this time walking. We headed back into Loki's room, where we sat, scrying for more information. Surt had gone to take care of other matters, so we were out of details for now. I sat back and leaned my head against the top of the couch, looking up at the high ceilings.

"Have you ever met Surt, Loki?"

"Fortunately, no."

"But Odin has dealt with him before, right?"

"All of several times."

My head fell to the side and I glanced at Loki, who was sitting with his hands folded in his lap. "Is he as bad as he seems?"

"You fear Surt, don't you?"

"No."

A smirk crept onto his lips. "Wasn't it you who said it was useless to lie to the God of lies?"

My mouth opened and shut several times, unable to come back with a retort. Instead, I settled for the truth. "I don't _fear_ Surt, but there is a chance that I'll come to fear him."

"And whatever happened to the fearless woman who spoke to me of how she would not fear death?"

"I don't consider Surt to be death. There is a chance matters can be settled diplomatically still, and Surt is just a giant."

"A king of fire giants." Loki corrected. He seemed to be taking too much joy in the thought that I was afraid of Surt.

I could turn it on him as quickly as he turned it on me, however. "Didn't you fear the Chitauri?" I asked, waiting for a reply.

He blinked slowly and fixated his gaze on the wall of books, choosing one to focus on. "I feared what they could do. I knew quite well they held my life in the palm of their hands, and the thought that unless I were to hand over an entire race for them to have at their disposal was unnerving."

"You _do_ remember the time you tried to kill all of the frost giants, right?"

His face turned sour. "I did it for Odin. But the more I think of it, the more I realize it was a terrible plan."

"Let's be honest, Loki." I sat up and tucked a leg underneath me as I turned to face him. "You didn't only try to destroy all of the frost giants for your father, did you?"

His sharp gaze flashed from the bookcase to me. "What would you know of my intentions."

"I heard something about you from Thor when you invaded Midgard. I think we both know what that is."

He sneered and stood crossing the room. "And what of it is of importance to you? The knowledge that I intended to murder my species? Does that scare you?"

"I'm more concerned with the fact that you were desperate enough to want to end a species, no matter who they be."

"I was _not_ desperate!" Loki's voice rose.

"Then what were you?" I did my best to match his hysteria.

Silence filled the room as Loki chose to keep his back to me, the only thing making a sound was his heavy breathing. He mumbled something I couldn't hear.

"Excuse me?"

He turned around, the look on his face was one of sheer rage. "_Go_! Leave me be!"

I obeyed his words without thinking twice, leaving his room. I made it down several halls in a daze before I bumped into someone.

"Sorry. I wasn't watching my way." I mumbled the apology before continuing on my way.

"Walking around with your head down is not of your normal behavior, is it?" I looked up and saw Fandral's signature grin, his hair flowing in the nonexistent wind.

"Hey Fandral. I was just going back to my room."

"Surely you jest. The day is still young, and I have hardly spent a moment with you since your arrival. Would you like to accompany me for a walk through the gardens?"

"You know, I'm kind of tired, what with the time change and all. If it's alright with you, I'll just meet up with you during dinner." Time change my ass. I'd been here for a week. I just didn't want to deal with people right now.

Fandral's smile faltered ever so slightly, but he quickly recovered. "Then I insist you accompany myself and the others tonight after supper."

I smiled uneasily. "Right. I'll see you then." I hurried down the hallway until I made it to my room, shutting and locking the door tightly behind me.

I sighed and sat down, taking the time to briefly rub my legs, which were already sore from the running I'd had to do this morning. I have got to work out more.

The daylight slowly waned until it was sunset, and I was greeted by the women who always came to dress me. They slipped me into a deep violet dress and wound a gold ribbon through my long hair, leaving it down for once.

"The All-father is preoccupied this evening." One of the women stated. "The dinner shall occur without the attendance of the All-father, or Queen Frigga."

I nodded, mindlessly toying with the gold and pearl necklace that had been put on me. "Sure."

The women curtsied, left, and I headed down the hallway to where Thor, Sif, and the Warriors three were gathered for dinner. I said my hellos and sat down.

"It is unusual for my father to be absent from a meal when we have a guest." Thor stated, bringing my attention to him, rather than the chicken I was pushing around my plate. "Are you aware of what causes his absence?"

I shrugged, knowing Odin would want to make a formal announcement. "I don't know."

"Well that's great news!" Fandral excalimed. "Then we can gather after dinner to formally welcome Emmeline to Asgard." The smirk on Fandral's face told me this wasn't going to be too formal of a welcoming.

* * *

"Are you sure you must retire?"

"Yes, Fandral, but thank you for walking me to my room."

Fandral smiled largely and bowed slightly. "Then until tomorrow." He pulled my hand up to his lips and kissed my knuckles making me internally shudder. Don't get me wrong. Fandral is a kind and funny person, but I wasn't seeking romance right now.

Fandral left and I headed into my room, sitting down on the edge of my bed to remove my shoes.

"I have never seen a woman so put off by Fandral." I jumped out of my skin at the voice and looked around the room, spotting Loki lounging on the sofa, his feet dangling over the edge. _I should've known._

"Fandral is a nice person, but I'm simply not interested in matters like that. Anyway, why should I report it to you?"

Loki ignored the second part of my statement, and chose to instead stand up and wander aimlessly around the room. "I cannot recall a time when Fandral has pursued a girl, only to fail." He glanced at me and smirked. "You may be the first."

I rolled my eyes. "Like I said. I'm just not interested."

"Fear of intimacy, perhaps?" Loki tapped a finger against his cheek mockingly.

"Oh I'm sorry I haven't found time to date." I stated, annoyed. "I've been too busy keeping Midgard safe from other realms. Oh, and not to mention that I've been trying to avoid getting killed."

"Hush." Loki smiled calmly, though I knew he was grinning on the inside. "I did not intend for my words to illicit such a reaction."

I calmed down, taking a deep breath. "Can I ask you something, Loki?"

He nodded. "Please ask."

I bit my lip, knowing this question could go horribly wrong, depending on his mood. "Why is it," I started, "that you can learn as much as you want about me, but when I bring up something about you, I'm shut out quicker than I can get a foot in?"

His face darkened slightly, though he didn't yell at me. "We are two very different people. Your secrets are not nearly to the extent that mine are."

"I beg to differ." I said, slowly taking a step toward Loki, though I didn't want to push the boundaries. "You may think your secrets are so powerful, that you would die if you told them, but they're not. What you keep bottled up is only going to eat away at you, so you'll end up thinking they're terrible secrets. I know I didn't talk about my parents for the seven years I didn't seen them, but I surely thought of them. None of these thoughts were positive, but I kept them from everyone I met, only saying they never felt like family." I took another small step. "That is, until earlier today with you." Loki glanced at me, not breaking eye contact. "I have never once told someone that my parents hated having me around, but once you found out, everything was in the light, and I realized it wasn't as big of a deal as I had thought it was."

"Your poor relationship with your parents is not a concern compared to my situation."

I shrugged at his words. "You don't know that. Like I said, things may only seem terrible until you tell someone else. And seeing as you know practically everything about me, you can safely know that I plan to treat your secrets the way you've treated mine."

I waited, but Loki was silent, so I nodded and headed to the door, opening it.

"Then if you don't mind, I'm quite tired, and I would like to go to sleep."

"Wait." I watched as a look I couldn't define passed over Loki's features. "I will tell you."


	22. Chapter 22

**I'm super sorry it's taken so long for me to upload today. The 4th of July automatically means a family gathering where I'm from, so I had no time to write today. And I'm sorry this is a shorter than usual chappie, but this seemed like a good place to cut it. But hopefully you all like this chapter, wink wink, nod nod. **

* * *

"I will warn you that my secrets are not as simple as yours." I chose not to interrupt, for fear that would cause Loki to clam up and not say anything. "Please sit."

I sat down on the couch, Loki slowly pacing back and forth in front of me.

"During Odin's war with the frost giants, he took Laufey's son back to Asgard. That son was me. I was not aware of my true nature until A little over a year ago, when Thor was banished to Midgard. Only then did I learn Odin had taken me from Jotunheim as a pawn." Loki stopped walking and stared out the balcony. "Odin intended for me to become a unification tool between Asgard and Jotunheim. He never considered me as a prospect for King of Asgard." Loki glanced over at me and chuckled sardonically. "I take your silence to mean you are aware that your secrets were not as dark as mine."

"It's not a competition, Loki." I finally stated, standing up. I headed over to the balcony and leaned back against the railing, facing Loki. "It doesn't matter who's secret is worse."

He nodded silently.

"What's more important than the fact that this is your secret is how you feel regarding it." I stated slowly, worried that he would freak out and leave.

"How do you suppose one would feel when they discovered their entire life has been a lie?"

"I wouldn't know." I stated quietly. "I spent so much time just focusing on work that I've never really had that normal childhood relationship with my parents."

"Then you do not know how I feel regarding the choices I made."

"I know you said you're starting to regret what you did to the frost giants."

A grimace passed over his face. "I regret what I did to the frost giants as a whole. Though I believe _some_ of them deserved it."

"Laufey?" I asked, realizing a moment too late that I could have easily overstepped a boundary by saying that.

Loki, however, calmly nodded. "He chose to abandon his son in a time of war. Not only that, but never once did he attempt to retrieve his son, or speak the truth. It is not just Laufey, though. I thought that if I acted bravely and strongly as Thor once would have, I would finally have the respect and position Odin would appreciate. I would no longer be viewed as a pawn piece, and rather as a worthy King." I could hear the disappointment in his voice. I could almost even feel it.

"If you had been given the chance to return to Jotunheim to grow as Laufey's son, would you have done it?"

A humorless chuckle came from Loki. "No. I would have never returned to Jotunheim. It was never my home."

"And what about Odin? Do you think he ever loved you?" Silence.

"Yes. I believe Odin viewed me differently from Thor for my entire life, but I do believe I was loved by him."

"Then what has changed? You are still Odin's son, and you wouldn't leave Asgard given the choice. So what makes you feel things are so different now?"

"My actions following Thor's banishment to Midgard, as well as the time I've spent working for the Chitauri have made me realize what a monster I truly am." The words rang through the room with more truth than I had imagined from the God of lies.

"You're not a monster, Loki."

"But I am. I enjoyed the power I had over the frost giants fate. I enjoyed the power I had over the mortals on Midgard."

"So what?" I said. "You like power. That's not a weird thing. Most people like being powerful."

"That is _not_ who I am, though."

"It's _everyone_, Loki."

He glanced up at me and I saw his eyes were wet with angry tears. He just looked so lost.

I abandoned all boundaries at that point and closed the distance between Loki and I, throwing my arms around his center and squeezing tightly. I felt him freeze under my touch.

"Even _I_ like having power. I feel _strong_ when I'm able to send creatures back to their realms from Midgard. I have adrenaline pumping through my veins every time something refuses to leave and I have to fight them. It's normal to want control. _Especially_ when you feel like you've lost all of it in your life."

Whether Loki relaxed from my words or my hug, I wasn't sure, but I did feel him relax. Not entirely, but enough so that I heard his heartbeat was slower than when I'd first grabbed him.

"I fear most gods do not feel this need for power. Perhaps is it a human trait."

I pulled back far enough to look Loki in the eyes. "Do you _really _think Hogun doesn't feel power when he makes a kill? How about Fandral and finding a lover? Volstagg _certainly_ feels power when he finds an animal large enough to eat. And Sif? She clearly feels power every time she's able to attack and conquer with no one else's help. Thor's the only person of these four I can think of who doesn't feel power like that over others. And we all know that that's because he's turned into a bit of a pansy ever since he returned from Migard over a year ago."

That got Loki in a good mood. He laughed quietly and smiled down at me. "Perhaps you are right."

"I always am."

"About Thor, I mean. He certainly has lost his gusto since finding a mate."

He just could never give me the benefit of the doubt, could he? Weirdly, though, I was fine with it. I would rather have Loki screwing with me, than constantly brooding.

"Then I receive no credit for making you feel better?"

Loki smirked briefly, though it vanished just as quickly as it had come. "Perhaps my sanity can be slightly contributed to your attempts to make me feel better."

I smiled and removed my arms from around his back, taking a step back. "That's good, considering I deserve something."

"Oh I believe you deserve more credit than you are thinking. Taking down three frost giants on one occasion? That takes more skill from a mortal than most have."

I gaped slightly. "Did you spend any time _not_ scrying on me? I mean, really. Am I safe from your eyes anywhere?"

Loki strolled toward the door, arms folded behind his back. "Of course you were free from my gaze. On multiple occasions."

"Let me guess. Those times were only when I was sleeping or showering, right?"

An all knowing grin spread across his face. "Not always."

"_What_? You little-"

"I shall see you tomorrow for scrying. Until then." Loki ran out of my room and shut the door quicker than I could find something to throw at him, leaving me dumbfounded. Not only had I just learned I was safe nowhere from Loki's scrying, but I'd also comforted him.

Which was completely out of character for me.

What was happening to me?


	23. Chapter 23

**Alright, so I'm finally starting to catch up on updating. Well, that's _kind_ of true, but not true in the sense that I don't have any spare chappies written right now and I just finished this chappie.**

**Anyway, I'm here to say that unfortunately, I will most likely NOT be able to update tomorrow. I have a few relatives coming in from Arizona tomorrow, so I'll be forced to spend the day with them, which means I'll have no time to write or update. I'll do my best to write tomorrow night once everyone's gone, but I can't guarantee that I'll be able to update, so I'm warning you guys now.**

**And quick sidenote. This chappie is a fair bit shorter than usual (like the last one), but I really didn't know where to cut it to make it longer, so I hope you will all forgive me for that. But personally, I enjoy this chappie, so I hope you guys do too!**

* * *

The announcement of Surt's plans took place the several days after Loki and I had informed him of Surt's plans, Odin gathering every warrior he could find to spread the news. His initial plan to send a troop of his men to Surt to try for negotiation and peace had failed, so the plan now was to bring the fight to Surt, rather than the other way around.

The warriors dispersed quickly, knowing we only had a few weeks until Surt had planned to attack, and we would need to be trained and ready for it.

I, however, was summoned by Odin, leaving me to part from Sif and the warriors three, who went to train.

As things settled down, I made my way into the throne room, going up to Odin.

"You wanted to see me, All-father?"

He nodded. "Yes, I did. I am concerned for your wellbeing in this battle. Seeing as you are mortal, I will restrict you to not taking part in the war."

_Huh?_ "All-father, forgive me for speaking out of place, but this war is being _caused_ because of me. I shouldn't just sit it out while people risk their lives for me."

"I do not have complete control over your doings, seeing as you are a being of Midgard, but I do strongly request you consider highly what I have said. Your death would be quite unfortunate."

"Thank you for your concern, All-father, but I must fight. I know I'm not strong, and I know I'll likely die, but my involvement with Asgard has made your home a part of this war, which will lead Surt to continue until everyone is dead. I can't just sit idly while that all happens. I have to do my best to protect Asgard, and hopefully, my own life." I bowed quickly and turned to leave, Odin's words stopping me in my tracks.

"Then you leave me no choice."

I turned back around. "Excuse me?"

Odin stood slowly. "Because you will not stay uninvolved in this battle, I shall do my best for you to raise your abilities to that of an Asgardian warrior."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Don't blame me for being doubtful. I knew it was by a longshot that I would survive this mess, and I didn't see how Odin could change that.

"By transforming you into a god."

Oh right. I'd forgotten Odin held the secret to immortality.

* * *

"You _cannot_ risk yourself like that!"

Okay, so maybe telling Loki about what Odin had planned probably wasn't the best idea. I had thought we were truth buddies, but clearly that wasn't too important to him.

"I have to, Loki. I will not let people die for me if I'm not even willing to risk my own life. And Odin and I have already set the date that I'll be given immortality."

"Cancel it! The people of Asgard are fighting for you! If you do not live, then their efforts are wasted!"

"Let's be realistic." I folded my arms over my chest calmly, Loki still pacing like a madman. "Surt has never liked Asgardians. The fact that I even _came_ to Asgard was enough of a reason for him to declare war between the two worlds. Since I'm the reason Surt is attacking Asgard, I should defend Asgard as well. Plus, shouldn't you be happy that I'm not going to be a weak little mortal fighting Surt? It _was_ Odin, after all, who said if I planned on fighting Surt, I'd need the abilities of a god."

"_You said it best yourself!_" He yelled, trying to regain composure. "You are an informant, not a warrior." For the first time I had seen him that day, Loki didn't seem angry, but worried.

"I can _do_ this, Loki." I gently took a step toward him, hoping he would calm down. "I know I'm not the best warrior, but I have enough time to train to get better. And I'm going to fight no matter what, so isn't it better that I have a higher chance of survival if I'm a god?"

I was shocked as Loki crossed the distance between us and tightly wrapped his arms around my back, similarly as I had done to him several days ago.

"You are _not_ risking your life." His voice was quiet, seeing as his head was buried in my shoulder. "I cannot let the only person who knows how to make me share my secrets die."

I sighed and placed a hand on the back of Loki's head, hoping to console him. "I see you have little faith that I would survive the battle."

"I do not want there to be a chance that you will die."

His words scared me a little bit. I had spoken a big game about needing to fight and that if I died, so be it, but I didn't like the idea one bit. I always felt that if I died for something I believed in, I would be alright with it, and I still believed that to a certain extent, but there was part of me, that didn't want to die. Sure, I had been alright with the idea when I had nothing to lose, but now I felt like I was home, if that made any sense. For years, I was just passing my time with SHIELD, but since coming to Asgard, I had begun to think of it as where I belonged. I was happy here. I knew people well, and had friends, and someone I hadn't really been able to define yet. Dying seemed so unfortunate when I had this much to lose.

"It's alright, Loki." I gently patted my hand on his head, the motion seeming to console Loki as much as it did me, which wasn't very much. "It's going to happen, so we might as well accept it."

Loki released me from his grip and stood up fully, me regaining my stance against the ground.

"If you are so insistent upon fighting, then let me help. I shall train you every day in the sorcery I know, and Freyja once knew, as well as the moves of a warrior."

"How?" I asked. "Odin won't let you leave your room because of your actions against the frost giants and Midgard."

"Sometimes a helping hand is needed so badly that laws are bypassed. I am sure Odin will believe me a useful skill to teach you, seeing as I know sorcery the best in all of Asgard."

I nodded, my body relaxing at the thought that maybe I'd actually be able to defend myself in this war.

"And one other thing." Loki said. "I will be taking part in this war as well."

_What?_


	24. Chapter 24

**Oh my god, you guys. I am SOOOOOO sorry for taking this long to upload a new chappie. Remember when I said I was sick? Yeah, well I was underestimating things. I had a fever and was bedridden the first four days after I told you guys I couldn't update, and when I went to the doctor because I wasn't getting any better, he said I had a virus, which meant I couldn't take antibiotics to help. I was sick for a while, and I'm still pretty tired, so I failed at trying to write this chappie while feeling so sick.**

**I hope you guys can forgive me, and I hope to be back on a normal schedule soon!**

* * *

"You're going to do _what_?"

"I believe I was quite clear. I will be taking part in the battle."

I blinked several times before coming to my senses. "When was this decided?"

Loki put a hand on my shoulder. "Do not concern yourself over the issue." He glanced behind me at the door. "Someone is here for you."

A knock on the door followed his words, a guard poking his head in and stating I was wanted at the training grounds.

I glanced back at Loki. "This isn't over." There was no way in hell I was letting him off that easily when I got a thorough yelling at from him.

"I did not expect it to be over." Loki gave a look of pure boredom, then gestured to the door. "You are wanted. Go."

I silently turned and left, a guard leading me to the training grounds, where I saw warriors training everywhere.

"Ah, Emmeline, there you are!" I heard Sif's voice and I turned and saw her coming up to me. She slowed to a stop and smiled largely, slightly out of breath. "I have been asked to train you in the way of the Asgardians by the Allfather. He stated that he wanted you to begin training immediately."

"Really?" I was surprised. I had thought that Odin would want me to begin training after he had turned me into a god.

Sif laughed. "Of course! Did you expect the Allfather to send you into battle unprepared?"

So Odin hadn't told anyone of his plans yet? But I was to be turned into a god quite soon. Wouldn't everyone notice?

"The Allfather and I had come to an agreement." I stated slowly, knowing quite possibly I could be saying something Odin didn't want me to disclose. "I thought it was odd that he would want me to train right now, but if he said it, I'm sure he has reason."

Sif smiled and nodded. "Well he called myself and the warriors three to the throne room. The Allfather said that for the next several days, you will be training with us, and we will teach you the basic skills we have acquired over the centuries. I shall be in charge of sword fighting, Fandral will teach you hand to hand combat, Hogun will teach you speed, and Volstagg will help you master strength." That seemed all inclusive. Odin must've wanted me to have basic knowledge and ability before I became a god. That would explain the different lessons.

"Shall we start, then?"

I glanced at Sif and nodded wearily, knowing today was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Tomorrow, we shall learn the techniques of sword fighting that easily apply to your magic staff."

I smiled and nodded at Sif. "Yep. Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow."

Sif left and I headed into my room, nearly groaning as I shut the door behind me. I had done my fair amount of physical training while I worked for SHIELD, but I had _never_ trained like I had done with Sif today. She was _brutal_. If I didn't move exactly as she did, I was scolded. And not just a slap on the back of the hand, scolding. Sif liked to yell. Quite loudly, too.

"I see your training has gone quite well."

_I knew that sarcasm. _I turned and saw Loki sitting on the couch.

"As well as it can go for a human to train with a god."

"Then imagine fighting with one."

I sighed at his bitter words and slowly crossed the room, sitting on the edge of the bed across from Loki. "It'll be a lot easier to fight a god when I become one. And why do you think you're the one in charge anymore? Do you not remember the conversation we had earlier today?"

"My decision is not one I have to pass through you."

"But mine is? Do you see the double standard there, Loki?" He was silent. "What do you take me as? You watch for me for months, and tell me things like I can't fight in this war because I'm someone you can share your secrets with, but the moment you're upset, that's it. All logic is thrown out the window, and suddenly the rules only apply when you want them to. You can't have everything your way, Loki."

"And I have learned that."

"Have you? You protest so much the idea that I'm willing to fight with the others to defend my life and Asgard, but when you announce you're going to fight as well, and I disagree, what I have to say doesn't matter."

"Because why should you fight when I can't?" He stood. "Answer me one question, Emmeline. Why do you insist on letting others fight for you, but I cannot?"

I didn't respond, realizing I had no reason.

"Before you criticize my decisions, consider your own." Without another word, Loki turned and left my room, leaving me to think about what he had said. Why did I care so much if Loki fought? Sure, he was a friend I couldn't quite put a label on it. We had spoken so much during the time I had spent in Asgard, and I had grown closer to him than I had to any other person here. He actually understood how I felt regarding a matter of issues. And from what he had said to me, he didn't feel very different than I did.

The ache in my muscles became more noticeable, so I stood and headed over to the bath, doing my best to forget the conversation I had had with Loki, and to just relax before I had to train again with Sif.

* * *

I didn't see Loki for the next few days. To me, it seemed like he wanted me to wallow in my own thoughts, and knowing Loki as I did, he was probably thrilled at the idea that I was struggling to keep my focus during training. Luckily, however, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg had been far more understanding than Sif. There was only one more day until I to be turned into a god. The process was still unknown to me. Odin had told me I would feel weak for a few days following the transition. Much like I would feel after working out, which was absolutely _fabulous_, considering that's all I had been doing for the past week.

I was given today as a resting day before the transition, and boy, did I need it. Whether I needed it to relax off the pain of a week's worth of god's training, or because I needed a day to think clearly, I wasn't sure. And the longer I sat in my room, the more I was convinced that the day was needed for thinking.

"How has your training been?"

For once, I jumped at the voice I heard behind me. I turned and saw none other than Loki standing in my doorway.

"Wh-what?"

He smiled briefly. "I believe you heard me. I asked of your training."

I nodded. "Oh. Right. It's been alright. Tiring, you know? Well I guess you wouldn't because you don't have to train all the time, what with your sorcery, and-"

"Have you thought any more on what I asked you since we last spoke?"

I gaped a moment at his words. The smirk on his face told me he knew I had been thinking nonstop about it. But I couldn't give him the satisfaction he wanted.

"Perhaps. I've been quite busy, so who knows what I've really been thinking about?"

"I do." I could practically _hear_ him smirking.

"Oh? And what is I've been thinking about? You clearly seem to know."

"I believe you have been considering my words. Have you come to a conclusion?"

I sighed and shook my head, knowing our game of words had come to a close.

"Not at all. But I did realize that you as well are in the same predicament." He began to look uneasy. "Neither of us wants the other to fight. So that made me think about your reasoning." I stood from my place on the couch to walk toward Loki.

"So I have a question for you, Loki. Have _you_ come to a conclusion?"


	25. Chapter 25

**Oh my god, you guys. I am so sorry it's been forever since I last uploaded.**

**A brief explanation, but I went on vacation with my family, and brought my laptop along (with all of my writings on it), and someone stole my computer out of my dad's car! I had to wait a while before I could buy a new one, and luckily I had all of my stories backed up, so nothing was permanently lost. But it was a bitch dealing with it during that time.**

**Anyway, I really do apologize for not updating for the past who knows how long, and I hope this chappie makes up for it, wink wink, nod nod!**

* * *

Loki nervously bit his lip.

"I have no reason to answer your question."

"Then give me a reason to answer yours."

Truthfully, I knew why I didn't want Loki to fight. We were both stubborn, that much was easy to tell, so who would break first was the real question.

"I do not have a reason for you to answer my question." Loki gritted through bared teeth.

"Then why should I?"

"Because I want to know if you are thinking the same thing as I."

I was silent a moment. "And what are you thinking?"

He hesitated.

"We don't keep secrets, right Loki? Didn't we agree we're pretty good at sharing secrets?" I felt my heart rate rise as I spoke, the longer Loki was silent, the more I began to stress. He didn't speak for what felt like ages.

"I-I am fond of you." He glanced down, avoiding my stare. "I-It is more of a curiosity, really. Yes. Much more of a cu-"

I cut him off by grabbing his face and pulling him down to my height, pressing my lips tightly against his. He tensed up briefly, but relaxed, and I felt his arms snake around my waist. I pulled back, though not very far, considering Loki's arms were planted firmly around my waist.

"Same." I said quietly. I was surprised by my actions, to say the least. Not once in my (now) twenty years had I thought about liking someone, or dating, but here I was, standing in the arms of someone I truly wanted to be with. And on top of that, I had wanted to kiss him. Really badly.

I hadn't ever really entertained the idea that I liked Loki, mainly because I thought it was too impossible. Then, I started spending a lot of time training with Sif, and the warriors three, and I knew after a few days that I liked Loki. I began to miss him when I didn't get to see him all day, and he didn't show up at night. I felt far more queasy when Fandral would manage to get close to me during training, than I did when Loki would be only a few inches from me. I knew after all of this how I felt about Loki. But I hadn't wanted to admit it, considering there was a chance neither one of us would come back from this war alive.

"To know that you feel the same as I do, I feel as if a great weight has been lifted from my chest." Loki sounded so incredibly relieved.

"It's not that simple. We're going into a war. We aren't able to just relax now."

He smiled tiredly and nodded, pushing my head into his chest. "I know." I could feel his chest vibrate as he spoke. "But it is far better to express this than it is to suppress it."

"So, what?" I asked, feeling cynical. "We go along pretending nothing is happening, and if we die, then we die?"

"We will not die. We are stronger than that."

"That's what you say. I'll be a recently turned goddess, who has had very little training compared to Surt and his fire giants."

"No matter how often you dispute it, fundamentally, you are Freyja. She was one of the strongest goddesses in all of the realms. You will survive, and more than that, you will win."

"You're speaking far too highly of me. And what about you? I mean, will you be able to handle a bunch of fire giants? You _did_ get your ass handed to you when you went up against a few Migardian warriors." I could feel myself smirking. No matter how much I liked Loki, I would always tease him about losing to the Avengers.

Loki narrowed his eyes and spoke. "Had I been compelled to win, I could have easily beaten you and your friends. And I am perfectly capable of handling myself. Do not doubt me."

I smiled. "I don't doubt you. You're just fun to tease."

Loki made a face and squeezed me tighter. "I do not appreciate being the brunt of your humor."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course you don't."

There as a knock on the door and we quickly broke apart, Loki heading out to the balcony to hide from whoever was here.

I opened the door and saw a guard. "Yes?"

"The Allfather has requested your presence."

"Do you know what for?"

"He would like to discuss tomorrow."

I nodded. "Right, well let me get changed." I gestured to my jeans and t shirt. "Can't meet the Allfather like this."

The guard nodded and I shut the door, exhaling quickly in relief. I headed out to the balcony to find Loki, but was surprised when I didn't see him there.

"Loki? The guard's gone, come out." I jumped as I heard a rustling from behind one of the large golden curtains, Loki popping his head out.

"I am aware he is staying until you leave."

I nodded. "Yeah, so I'm going to get change, then you leave after I leave."

He nodded and came out from behind the curtain, waiting quietly, and seemingly shyly, as I grabbed a dress and headed to the changing area, slipping out of my clothes and into the uncomfortable dress, zipping it as much as I could. I headed back out to the main room and turned my back to Loki, moving all of my long hair over one shoulder.

"Can you zip me up?" I heard nothing to I turned to look at Loki, who had his head turned away. Really? it wasn't a big deal. "This isn't the first time you've seen my back, Loki."

"But in this manner, it seems far more provocative."

"Yes, compared to the time you ripped open my corset, this is far more provocative. Just zip me up."

He begrudgingly zipped the dress up the last few inches, backing away quickly. And to think we had been sharing a moment only moments ago.

"Well I'm going to get going. I'll see you later?"

Loki nodded. "I will be waiting for you after my father speaks with you."

"Alright, well bye." A moment of awkwardness ensued when I realized I had no idea what I was doing. I'd never felt this way before about someone, and seeing as how Loki thought it was "provocative" to zip up my dress, the standard goodbye used on earth for those who cared about each other was out of the question.

I let the thought pass quickly and went to leave, Loki catching my hand as I passed him. He brought my hand to his lips and I could feel myself blush as he let go.

"Until tonight." Another awkward moment later and I left the room, following the guard to the throne room, where Odin smiled and stood as he saw me.

"Emmeline, I am glad you received my message."

I nodded. "I wasn't sure why you needed me though. Is there a reason?"

"Yes. I would like to discuss tomorrow in more detail. Walk with me." He walked down the stairs that separated us and provided his arm for my hand, leading me outside and around some gardens with fancy shrubs. "I briefly informed you of the transformation process, didn't I?"

I nodded. "Very briefly. I can only imagine it's similar to how Freyja performed changes to immortality."

Odin smiled. "Well Freyja taught me nearly everything I have learned regarding sorcery. Though over the thousands of years, I have altered it to suit the Asgardians more than the Vanir. The transformation itself will take almost one week. The majority of it will be spent reconstructing your body for a God. The last day, however, will be a recovery process. You will be the most vulnerable you have ever been on that last day, and you will emerge completely a God."

"That sounds about right." It seemed pretty similar to Freyja's transformations. "What did you change?"

Odin seemed reluctant to answer. "Well, when I say I changed it to suit the Asgardians, I mean that without the power of the Vanaheim, it will be painful." Great. "It is only to strengthen the body, but it will take its toll on you."

We stopped walking as we passed a golden fountain, Odin glancing briefly above me before looking back down at me.

"There is still time for you to withdraw from this war, and the turning. We will protect you, as a Midgardian."

I shook my head. "With all due respect, Allfather, your description of the transformation doesn't sound terrible. In fact, it sound much better than letting you risk your men for me, when I would be sitting idly, waiting for everything to be over. So, no. I'm going through with this."

He smiled grandly and gently placed a large hand on my shoulder. "Though I know the danger for a Midgardian to transform into a God, I find great comfort in knowing that you are the one to become a God. I sense the power will not be wasted on you."

I nodded and joked, "Well you know what Uncle Ben said." My smile faded as Odin began to look confused. "Oh right. Midgardian humor. Sorry bout that."

Odin removed his hand from my shoulder, clearly confused. "Right, well, I will leave you to your own being, but tonight there is a ceremony before your transformation. The maids will come to dress you around six, and then you will attend the gathering."

"Alright. Thank you for the information, Allfather." I pressed my fist to my chest as he left, realizing I'd totally screwed with the king of pretty much everything.

_Really, Em, Uncle Ben?_

I sighed and shook my head at my stupid antics, heading back toward my room. Hopefully I could get a little peace before the party tonight. God knows I haven't gotten any since I got to Asgard.


	26. Chapter 26

**So I was totally going to upload on Saturday, but I completely forgot. So I apologize for that. And my inconsistent uploading. Classes + papers/tests + writing two other stories = very little time for writing this story.**

**So I'm sorry. Truly. But please enjoy this pretty frickin long chappie, and I'll try to upload on a more regular basis.**

* * *

I slipped into my room, secretly hoping that Loki would be waiting for me. Alas, my room was silent, which gave me maybe two hours to soak in the truth of everything. Tomorrow, I was going to become a god. I wouldn't be weak little Emmeline, the informant. I'd be stronger than everyone on Earth. Well, except maybe Banner. And I'd be able to scry in other realms. And perform magic I had only seen through Freyja's eyes.

I couldn't think of the downside to becoming a god. It sounded so much more natural than the life I had lived on Earth.

There was a knock on the door, and I opened it, seeing three maids.

"Um, can I help you?" There was no way they would come this early to help me get ready, right? I mean that would mean I had to spend the next two hours getting dressed.

"We are here to prepare you for the ceremony tonight." So I was right. _Damn_.

The women didn't wait for an invitation before coming into my room, one of them wheeling in a rack carrying formal looking dresses and boxes. The woman who lead them began lifting dresses off of the rack.

"Which would you like?"

I nearly asked which one _didn't_ have a corset, but I resisted. I pointed to the simplest one, and the woman nodded, hanging it on a hook on the wall. She pulled out one of the boxes and set it on the counter.

"Please go bathe, and we will procede from there." Wow she ran a tight ship.

I did as I was told, and only hoped this process would go a little faster than it had the time I had to go to Stark's gala.

* * *

Why was I so nervous? It's not like this was a new thing. I had been to plenty of parties since I got to Asgard. This one was no different.

Except I was the main attraction at this party. And I was in a stupid, corseted dress again, something I had sworn off of. The hair and makeup, though, I could get used to. I liked looking nice, and my nervousness today couldn't stop that.

I held my breath as the huge, golden doors swung open, all eyes in the hall on me. Okay, scratch that. Looking nice didn't stop any nervousness.

I took several steps into the room before slightly tripping over the large skirt of the dress. Yeah, turns out the simple looking dress came with a heavy petticoat. Luckily nobody noticed me faltar, the attention quickly being turned to the massive banquet set out on the tables.

I let out my breath and sat down near the head of the table, pushing the skirt down as I sat.

"Thank you for joining us, Emmeline." Odin said grandly, the long table of guests listening silently. "Tonight, we celebrate your last night of mortality, for soon, you will join us as a god."

The table cheered loudly before digging into the food, Volstagg clearly enjoying it more than most of the guests.

Sif set down her cup and smiled at me. "Are you prepared for the transition?"

I shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be. It doesn't seem like I'll miss that much as a human, and I've got to do this, so why not now?"

Sif nodded. "That seems very true. When I traveld with you to Midgard, you did not seem to have any attachment to it, or its people. Will you miss your friends, though?"

I nearly scoffed at her definition of friends. Surely she meant those I who I worked with at SHIELD, granted none of them were that great. "Not so much." I said. "I don't really ever get close to anyone."

"Oh really?" Thor asked. "I thought differently." Thor raised his glass to his lips, only his eyes visible to me, and oh were those eyes smirking.

I did my best to smile, though I'm sure it faltered. "Yep. So Vosltagg, Fandral. How did your hunting trip go?" I shifted the attention onto the two most talkative people near me. There was no way I would let Thor keep this going. By the knowing glances Thor shot and myself and at Loki, something told me I wouldn't like what he knew.

The dinner slowly progressed until there was very little food left (thanks to Volstagg), the group of musicians playing the music a little louder, a lot fo people getting up to dance.

Odin and Frigga stood, taking the center of the floor and moving gracefully around the room. Fandral managed to persuade Sif into dancing, albeit begrudgingly, and Volstagg went off to find some more ale and meat, which left, you guessed it, Thor, Loki, and me sitting at the head of the table alone.

"You met with my father earlier to discuss your transformation, correct Emmeline?" Damn. Thor was now questioning me, which could only lead to embarrassment.

"Yep. Though I guess I knew most of the process. You know, since Freyja taught him it."

"Yes, I had planned on escorting you to my father, but you were already gone by the time I made it to your room." Oh dear god.

"Oh yeah?"

Thor struggled to keep from smiling and nodded. "Yes. But to my surprise, somebody exited your room not long after you."

"Alright, we get it." I blurted out, tired of his innuendo. "You don't need to drag it out. Just go ahead."

Thor acted confused. "Go ahead? What do you think I plan to do?"

"Oh I don't know. Pain a red 'A' on all of my clothes, castrate _him_." I gestured to Loki, who cringed at the thought. "Just get it over with."

Thor nodded and made a stern face, though it quickly broke into a smile. "I only wish to congratulate you. My brother has suffered alone long enough, and I can think of no one better to accompany him than you."

I felt my cheeks heat immensely. "Can't you just smack me on the hand and tell me I've been a bad person? That would be easier than this."

Thor's laughter boomed, though it attracted no attention. "You are quite shy. I hadn't imagined you to be that kind of person, Emmeline."

I took a swig from the glass in front of me, wishing it was something stronger than ale at this point. "I'm not shy, I'm just secretive. Let's change the subject."

It was actually quite difficult to get Thor off the subject of Loki and I. He began to reminisce about the good old days with Loki, and how he was afraid his brother wouldn't ever 'be at peace' as Thor was, considering Loki didn't have a woman in his life. _Until now, of course._ Cue booming laughter.

I sat silently, wishing for nothing more than to blend into a wall at this point. It would be nice if Thor would give it up and do something else for a change.

"Would you like to accompany me for some air?" Loki seemed to sense my discomfort by offering me a way out, which I took greedily.

"Yep. Sounds good."

That gave Thor one more chance to razz Loki before we both stood and left, walking quickly and quietly out of the banquet hall, and outside to the gardens I had visited earlier today.

"I did not mean for Thor to discover me after you left."

I nodded, sighing. "I figured just as much. It would've happened eventually, though, so it's not a big deal."

"I feared he might find my behavior indecent, and quite possibly report it to the Allfather."

I let a laugh escape. "Thor lived on Midgard long enough to know the normal customs for us normal folk. Besides, being in my room isn't something that's bad. You've been doing it as long as I've been here."

Loki nodded. "That is true. But my intentions never had a purpose other than to learn of you."

"Oh? And how much did you learn?" We stopped walking, the lamps providing little light considering the time of night. I was still able to see Loki shift uncomfortably, a small smile forming on his lips.

"I learned you sleep deeply, yet you awaken quite easily. I learned that you sleep on your side, always facing the door, almost as if preparing yourself for something coming."

"That would be the nature of an ex-agent and someone who's life is in danger."

"I also learned that when you're sleeping well, you sigh contentedly. And when something bothers you, you frown."

I didn't really know how to feel about that. I had known that Loki had been watching me, very closely, in fact, but I had always believed it to be him making sure that I didn't have any poor intentions for Asgard. After all, I was the human who had come to Asgard for help against a fire giant. I couldn't be all sunshine and roses.

Now though, after knowing how Loki felt about me, and after hearing what he just said, I felt different. I had felt safe, knowing that he had been spending the nights with me. I had felt wanted, something I never felt at home. I also felt a little overwhelmed, though. All of this was so sudden. And not in the Earth kind of sudden way. On Earth, it would have been a lot more going out on dates, and little gestures like holding hands or kissing. I hadn't ever thought of myself dating like that, not even dating at all, really, but all of a sudden, we just both knew how we felt about each other. We had skipped the testing out the waters, and we just plunged in. And that was a lot to take in.

"A lot has been bothering me lately." I replied, not even delving into Loki's thorough analysis of my sleeping patterns. "What do you expect, though? I've got a king of fire giants that wants to kill me, and I'm about to spend a week in pain transforming into a god. It's a lot for a girl to take in."

Loki took my hand and gently squeezed it, something that felt incredibly reassuring. "You will be alright. You are strong, and everyone on Asgard supports you. We are here to ensure that you have the support you need when you are fighting Surt."

I had known that I had the support of the Asgardians, but how strong was I actually? I was the weakest team member of the Avengers when I had been on Earth. I had only been an informant when I worked for SHIELD. I wasn't actually strong. Who's to say that something wouldn't happen that last day that I would be at my weakest?

"I will watch over you." Loki said, almost as if he had been listening to my thoughts. "I do not intend to leave you alone during the transition. I will not leave you." The concern in his eyes made me feel his sincerity. I believed him.

And that managed to make me feel a little better. Loki had been one of the strongest of Asgard, despite the fact that he was far from the biggest. After all, he had almost managed to take over Asgard _and_ Earth. I knew he wouldn't let anything happen to me.

I just hoped nothing would happen that Loki would need to be there for.


	27. Chapter 27

**So I felt bad about not updating a lot anymore, so I'm already updating again. And you all should be really thankful, because I've got midterms coming up, so I'm being really nice for posting this quickly.**

**Either way, enjoy!**

* * *

The women quietly cooed as they dressed me in a thin dress. A lot of them were surprised that this was about to happen. Apparently, Odin rarely performed this transition. That just made me even more worried that he would screw up.

As the women parted and stood me in front of the mirror, I was pleasantly surprised. They'd chosen a simple white dress that hung loosely (and very comfortably), my hair braided down my back. Had I been five, I would've said I looked like Rapunzel, despite the fact that Rapunzel's hair was ridiculously long, and mine only went to my waist.

"You are ready." I turned and saw Loki, who clearly was taking his promise very seriously. He had barely left my side since last night, and only left when I forced him out of my room so I could sleep. And here he was, bright and early for the transition.

"Yep." I replied, pressing my hands against the dress. "Let's go get this over with." I strode across the room and fell into sync walking next to Loki as we made our way down the halls until we reached the room where I was going to be spending the next week. There was no denying that I was nervous, but I only felt it when I stared at the large doors. I felt a cool hand envelop my own and I glanced at Loki, who smiled gently.

"You will be safe."

I nodded, knowing he was right. That didn't mean I didn't get to be nervous, though. "Thanks." With that, he lead me into the room, only Odin and several servants present. _This was it._

Loki let go of my hand and stood with the servants as I approached Odin, who handed me a bowl like cup. He explained this would make me sleep through the transition, and that I should feel very little of the actual pain of my body morphing into a god's. I laid on the table in front of him, as he instructed stoically, and slowly felt the liquid I'd drank taking over. I heard very little of Odin's chanting before I fell into a deep black sleep in which no dreams came to me.

* * *

It was very cold during the transition. The pain in my body feeling very much like the ache felt when you get too cold. It wasn't entirely miserable though. After my entire body was consumed by the cold, biting pain, everything began to warm up again. The heat returned first to my chest, then spread through my entire body until I felt normal again. Well, I felt normal if normal was a dull pain. Odin had been very right when he said it would feel like the pain after working out. I knew from Freyja that this pain was a little more than three quarters of the way through the transition. First, every system in my body had locked up and hardened, causing that freezing sort of pain. Now, everything was slowly making its way into preparing for a god's body, which would come on the last day.

The time felt like it was going very quickly. Like how you can sleep for eight hours and it'll only feel like a few. I didn't know what was going on around me, which made things very boring, but very rarely, I could feel some connection to the outside world. Something against my forehead, a fluttering over my cheek. Most recently, it had been something against my hand. Whatever was happening, it was utterly soothing. Every time it would happen, I would forget about the pain and instead focus on the feeling. _There it was again. _

That feeling against my hand came and stayed for a bit before it ended, a quick press against my forehead before everything was gone. I could tell the transition was almost over now, my body feeling like jello. This was likely to be the last part of the transition. I felt relieved, knowing it was almost over.

The jello in my limbs slowly became less and less, until they felt completely normal again, maybe even better than normal. My body followed after my limbs slowly until I felt the best I had ever felt.

There was a pressure against my shoulders and I opened my eyes, Odin standing over me. He removed his hands from my shoulders and smiled gently.

"It is done." _It was done. _

I sat up and glanced down, seeing I was in a deep violet gown. The question was who changed me.

"I will initiate you as a goddess tomorrow morning." Odin said, pulling my attention away from the beautifully draped skirt and to Odin. "It is almost night now, and I am quite sure you are tired, despite your long rest." Odin gestured to the doors. "Please escort Lady Emmeline to her room."

I glanced around for Loki, and when I couldn't find him, I had a brief moment of panic. Surely he hadn't expected to stay the whole time. Seven days with no sleep was impossible for anyone.

I stood, amazed by the sudden grace I had as I walked between the guards as they lead me to my room. They stopped ten feet short of my doors and bowed quickly before turning and leaving the way we had come. _That was odd. Usually they would walk me to the doors and open them for me._

I shrugged off the feeling and opened the door to my room with ease, my ears pricking at the sound that someone was already in here. I pushed the doors shut behind me and glanced around the room, my eyes settling on the back of the person standing on the balcony.

"Loki."

He turned at my voice, a grin slowly spreading across his tired looking face. "I tried to stay with you." He said quickly. "I successfully stayed by your side until today, in which I was forced out of the room so the servants could dress you. I stayed by the doors, however."

"It's fine." I said before he could explain anymore. "I think I somehow knew you were there. I felt... a presence of some kind. Just small touches here and there. It was enough to make me feel safe."

He smiled even larger, nodding. "I did not know if you were able to feel me. Father had said you would be quite under during the transition, but I had hoped you may feel something."

I nodded. "I did. And I really appreciate it." I slowly made my way across the room, not sure how I was supposed to handle being with Loki anymore.

"I was glad to be there." He said, slowly stepping toward me as well. "Father initially felt very strongly that I should not be there, but I told him I was not going to leave you."

"I'm glad you didn't." I hurried my steps and rushed to Loki, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. He returned the feeling by snaking his arms around my waist and crushing me to his body. We both struggled to get a tighter grip on the other, the week of separation clearly bothering us both. "I missed you." I breathed into his shoulder, surprised at my words. I had never been one to actually convey how I was feeling.

"I as well. It was terrifying to see you lying there, and not being able to do anything to help you."

I couldn't help but giggle a little at that. I leaned back enough so I could see Loki's face and he looked confuse as to why I was laughing. "And what would Loki who smacked me upside the head do when he heard you say what you just said?"

His face darkened a little as he realized what I meant. "I was a different person then. I was under the control of the Chitauri. I was fighting for my life. I was worried only for my own escape, and some mortal was not-"

"I know, you were being selfish." I finished for him, knowing that's only where it would lead.

He shut his mouth and nodded. "I had never dreamt the war would come down to fighting you and your friends."

"But it did, and it's over with now. We've got bigger fish to fry."

"In only several weeks."

I nodded and placed my feet firmly on the ground, keeping my hands against Loki's chest. "Yes. In several weeks. But for now, I'm feeling the effects of that week long process, and I'm pretty tired." I pushed of of his chest and grabbed my t shirt and flannel pants, heading to the bathroom to change. I glanced in the mirror and was amazed at what I saw. It wasn't the intricate gold ribbon that wove through my hair. It wasn't the makeup that had been put on me at some point during my sleep. It was _me_. I looked...different, yet somehow the same. My hair was more golden and shinier than ever. My skin was healthier than I had ever seen it. And that little scar I had on my hairline from the time Loki had hit me with the scepter was gone. It was like it had never existed.

As I shed the dress, I noticed every scar I had ever had was gone. My skin was flawless, and it looked nearly impenetrable. _Wow._

I managed to overcome my immense surprise at my newly perfect body, and pulled on my pajamas, doing my best to unwind the ribbon from my hair without tangling the long mess of curls.

I left the dress in the bathroom and headed back into the main room, Loki waiting for me.

He smiled when he saw me. "Though you truly looked like a goddess in that dress, this suits you far more perfectly."

I chuckled a little. "Thanks, I think. Anyway, you look like you haven't slept in ages."

He wavered a bit before nodding. "I have to admit that I spent all of the past week by your side, only sleeping when I could not fight it any longer." Yikes. A week was a long time for little to no sleep.

"You should sleep then. I'm guessing you're far more tired than I am."

Loki agreed wholeheartedly. "I am quite exhausted. I shall see you in the morning. Before your coronation."

"Yep." I said. "Goodnight."

Loki did the same as he had done every time he left now, and bent to kiss my hand as he raised it to his lips. "May you have pleasant dreams." With that he left, and I crawled into bed, sighing into the sheets.

I definitely had pleasant dreams that night.


	28. Chapter 28

**So I've been trying to upload every week. How am I doing? Good? I hope.**

**Anyway, enjoy this really long chappie. **

**Spoiler****: Hopefully certain *cough* things *cough* are written well. I've never been amazing at writing *cough* certain *cough* topics well, but hopefully everything *cough* is good for all of you.**

* * *

Time went by very quickly once I became a god.

Odin had dubbed me Emmeline, goddess of sorcery, beauty and truth, the day after I woke up from the transformation. Almost immediately after that, I began training harder than I ever had.

And let me tell you. It was amazing. I didn't get tired nearly as easily as I used to. I could train for hours and have no pain in my muscles the next day. Everything healed so quickly. Like at one point, Fandral accidentally hit me with an arrow, and it barely penetrated the skin on my arm, and healed faster than any wound I'd ever had.

I loved it. I was stronger, faster, better than ever, and I felt so much more confident. I truly believed that I could take on Surt by myself now. Of course, that wasn't true, but I felt impenetrable. It was an amazing, and dangerous feeling. I did things that were probably considered stupid, but now that I _could_ do it, I did.

And the magic. Wow. I was so good at magic now. I could scry whenever and wherever I wanted. I could make more than just my staff appear. I could manipulate those around me into doing what I wanted them to do. It was never ending. I was just _better_ at everything.

And it scared me a little. I was so superior to who I was before the transformation, that I felt cocky. And I knew better than to feel cocky, but I still did. I still felt like I could take every god, and giant, and dwarf, and elf, and every creature that ever existed.

Loki knew how to make me believe otherwise, though. He was the one person in all of Asgard who managed to match my sorcery. And seeing as how that was my strongest point, it humbled me a little. I mean, I was a few weeks into being a god, and I already had the magic abilities of a who knows how old god, so I was sure to improve, but Loki always managed to remind me that I wasn't as strong as I thought I was.

"What are you doing in here?"

I glanced up from my spot deep in the library, seeing Loki's head poked around the bookshelf.

I smiled and set down my book, rubbing my eyes. "Reading. How about you? What're _you_ doing here?"

He walked toward me, running his hands along the spines of the books as he passed. "I was to find your company this morning, but when I went to your room, you were gone."

I nodded and flipped the page of the thick book. "Yeah, I figured I'd get an early start today. See if I could figure out anything about Surt that I don't already know."

I saw Loki sit down next to me in my peripheral. He glanced at the book in my hands, as well as the small stack I had accumulated this morning. "Well none of those will give you an answer." He paused a moment before flicking his hand up and holding it out, a book flying around the corner of the aisle and into his hands. He flipped through the first few pages and handed it to me. "This will be more accurate."

"How'd you do that?" I asked, curious about the method Loki had just used to get the book.

Loki smiled gently and put his hand up again. "You focus on what you want, and you will eventually feel the pull to it. The closer it is, the quicker the pull. And when you find it," another book flew into his hand, "you will receive it."

I grinned and put my own hand up, focusing on a book that was at the end of the aisle. I struggled to feel the pull, and the book barely wiggled when I called for it. I heard Loki's familiar low chuckle and tried again, the book moving even less than before.

"You have to focus." He said, putting his large hand on my own, his own focus going onto the book. "See the world around you as darkness, and what you want as light."

I closed my eyes and tried to see things as he suggested, though it was hard to focus with that cool hand resting on mine. I finally saw the light and opened my eyes, moving my wrist in hopes to persuade the book to come. Instead, there was a grunt from beside me. Loki's body had suddenly shifting closer to me. My eyes flicked to Loki's who was pressed flush against me, his face showing surprise.

"I-I see you were not focusing on the book. But you managed to move something quite larger. I think you have it." He stood and cleared his throat. "I will leave you with your studies, then." He turned and left, making me groan for what felt like the thousandth time since I'd gotten to Asgard.

Here's the thing about being in a...relationship with Loki. He tries so incredibly hard to be proper that it almost seems standoffish. And if I didn't know him as well as I did, I would think he was being standoffish. But he wasn't. It was just his way of staying proper.

Which got really annoying sometimes. Excuse me for feeling human, but sometimes I just wanted Loki to hold me, like he very rarely did, or kiss me like he did the first night we'd told each other how we felt. Not the pecks on the hand, or the fleeting touches. I was a 20 year old girl, for god's sake. I wanted to be kissed. Really kissed. But every time I managed to get close enough to Loki to do that, he excused himself and would leave. _Damn sneaky god of mischief._

I closed my books and tried using the same magic I had just learned to put them back on their shelves, completing the task after a few tries.

Leaving the library, I spotted Thor and Volstagg, smiling politely as I reached them. "Hey guys."

"Good afternoon." Thor said. "It is quite lucky to find you here. I was searching for you to alert you that there is no training today."

I acted surprised, though I knew the reason. "Oh? Why is that?"

"Today is one of the few days that it is raining. Training will be resumed tomorrow when the skies are clear."

_Yeah, who do you think made it rain? _"Alright. I'll see you guys around." I passed the two and continued down the hall, smirking as I made my way toward Loki's room. I had finally had enough of him avoiding me. It was my turn to keep him from leaving. And that whole rain spell was hard, but it was worth it if I could get Loki to stay in one place rather than suggest that he has something else to do, like train.

I reached the two large, golden doors that I knew to guard Loki's room, and I glanced around, making sure no one was around to see me. I knocked on the door, a muffled 'enter' coming from inside the room.

I took a deep breath and opened one of the doors, slipping into the room before shutting the door behind me. I glanced up and saw Loki sorting through his own private stash of books. I cleared my throat once and he looked up, seemingly surprised when he saw it was me that came.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, shutting the book in his hands and setting it down.

"Training was practiced." I said nonchalantly, strolling around the room, touching the fixtures as I went. "I figured I'd come see what you were going to do with your day off."

"Oh." He replied, putting his hands tightly behind his back. "I am sure I have matters to attend to."

I nodded, knowing very well that he was lying. "Well I'm free all day, so do you mind if I hang around here? I haven't been to your room in a while."

He gave a silent indication that it was alright, and I wandered around the room, lightly commenting on the view, or how bright the room was, all the while, Loki watching me closely.

I made it toward the back of the room and smiled, spotting the door I had gone into so long ago. That room contained nearly every comment or thought Loki had of me, and I was curious to see if it had grown. I walked with purpose toward the room, a green and gold figure swiftly moving in front of the door.

I looked up at Loki and pouted. "Is there a reason you won't let me go in there?"

"That is a highly private room."

"Well I've already been in there once. And Odin _did_ give me the title of truth. Don't you want to be honest with me?"

Loki's lips pursed a little. "Not all matters are spoken of. This room is my thoughts, which are not always something that need to be shared."

I grinned and nodded. "Sure. Whatever you say."

Loki relaxed and began to move away from the door, giving me the opportunity to lunge for it. I got my hand on the doorknob and made to open it, the door slamming shut as a heavy hand landed on it above my head. I kept my hand on the doorknob and turned, pressing my back against the door, Loki towering over me, clearly a little peeved that I hadn't listened.

"I thought I told you that room was private."

"I thought I told you to be honest." I replied, standing my ground.

Loki stared down at me, his eyes narrowing. "You are frustrating."

"Then be honest with me in another regard." I could feel my cheeks flush as the words fell from my lips. I was _never_ a forward girl, and I was about to become one. "You avoid me quite often." I said. "Is it personal?"

"Of course not." He replied, his eyes softening. "It is anything but."

"Words are not nearly as strong as actions, Loki." My heart pounded in my ears. "Show me you mean it."

His eyes flashed through several emotions before he growled. "You are truly infuriating."

Before I could respond, his lips crashed onto mine, his movements quick and sloppy. I didn't even care at this point, so high off of his touch that I returned the fervency, my own lips moving roughly against his. I snaked my arms up his chest and over his shoulders, knotting my fingers in his hair. That managed to make him growl louder and straight into my mouth, which I returned with a quick gasp at the feeling.

He pulled away all too soon, resting his forehead against mine as he breathed heavily.

"This is hardly appropriate." He said breathily.

"Why the hell would you want to be appropriate," I replied between my own heavy breaths, "when you could be doing this?"

He chuckled thickly and put his own hands on mine, untangling my fingers from his hair and holding my hands together between his own between the two of us. "I must ask your permission to court you." He said, tracing a thumb over my hands.

"I kind of figured you started courting me that time we confessed to each other." I said dumbly, not realizing Loki would want to follow Asgardian tradition so closely.

"I never asked you." He said. "So I do now." He stood back, holding one of my hands in his. "Emmeline of Midgard, goddess of sorcery, truth, and beauty, reincarnation of Freyja, may I have your hand to call my own?"

Alright, so I was a reincarnation of Freyja, and used to all this Asgardian stuff, but hearing Loki say that felt so formal and royal. I kind of liked it.

"Of course." I replied. "On the condition that you, Loki, Prince of Asgard, god of lies and mischief, will keep kissing me like that."

He smiled and laughed a little. "I as well agree."

"Good." I said. "Now get back to kissing me like that." There was no doubt as Loki pressed himself against me and kissed me again, this kiss far more gentle and sweeter than the last, though it was possibly better than that first one.

I smiled into the kiss and realized how at home I was here. I was with people I knew, and friends, and I was a god as well now. And I had a man courting me. It was surreal to think that I could be where I was now, but I loved it.

This was, and would always be, my home.


	29. Chapter 29

**I am sooooooo sorry this took so long to upload.** **Things got crazy, and I had a ton of stuff to do, and writing this story sort of slipped to the back of my mind. So for that I apologize greatly. Seriously. I'd hate me if I were you guys, so thank you for ****_not_**** hating me.**

**And for those who haven't given up on me and are still reading, thank you! I'm hoping to get back on top of writing so I can start updating semi-regularly again!**

* * *

"What do you wish for?"

"How about a pony?" The joke brought a smile to Loki's lips. We were currently in his room, laying across the large ottoman on the balcony. I had been reading up on Surt's weaknesses when Loki started getting bored.

"What do you _truly_ wish for?"

I set my book down and glanced at Loki, who watched me expectantly. "Something that I could actually get, or something I would want if there were no obstacles?"

He thought a moment. "Both."

I nodded, folding my hands. "Alright. I would love if I could perfect my sword skills," I took a deep breath, "and I would love if Surt left me alone." It was silent a few moments before I glanced at Loki, who was staring at me silently. "What? You asked, so I told. Would you rather have me lie?"

"No." He said. "But I do not find pleasure in knowing that Surt weighs so heavily in your mind."

"Did you expect to not bother me at all? Didn't we already agree that it was a bad thing?"

"It is reasonable to feel the way you do," he started, "but that does not mean I must be alright with it."

I sighed and shut my book, setting it on the end table. "C'est la vie." I said. "There's not much we can do about it that we aren't already doing, so we'll just get on." I saw a look pass through his eyes, so I cut him off before he could speak. "Don't you dare go and cause an issue about it. I only told you believing that you wouldn't make a fuss about something neither of us can change. Please don't do this."

He was silent, though the subject was clearly weighing heavily on his mind.

"Look." I said, sitting up straight, Loki locking eyes with me. "In two days, we leave for Muspelheim. If we can't convince Surt to stop everything, then we attack. And we'll _win_. We know what we're doing, and the fire giants don't know that we know their plans. Worry is natural, but we can't let it stop us from living."

He sighed and sat up as well, running a long hand through my hair. "I still do not want you to fight."

"I don't want you to fight either. So what are we going to do? Because neither of us are going to agree to each other's demands."

He smiled a little. "You truly are an infuriating woman."

I grinned back. "The last time you said that, we kind of, you know."

"Oh?" He smirked. "I apologize, I do not seem to understand what you speak of."

I smacked his chest a little. "Of course you do. Don't even try that with me."

"Try what?" He said innocently. "Oh, you mean this?" He snaked a hand across my waist and raised his eyebrows.

"Haha, very funny." I replied. I heard someone knock on the door and I slipped off of the ottoman, crossing the room to put the book I had been reading back on the shelf.

I heard Loki sigh and sit up. "Enter."

The doors opened and I turned to see Thor entering. The doors were shut behind him and Loki stood to meet him.

"Ah, Thor. What graces us with your presence?"

I watched silently as Thor shifted his gaze from me to Loki, nodding brusquely. "Today is the last day of training before we leave. I would like to invite both of you to attend a dueling competition."

"Competition?" I asked. Freyja had never concerned herself with the matters of fighting, despite her strength and power. She had always found it juvenile to engage in unnecessary violence, so I knew nothing of what Thor spoke of.

"Yes." Thor said, smiling grandly. "It is a sort of celebration of the warriors. We fight, we dine, we practice. There is a winner, too." He raised his eyebrows as if that was highly enticing. "So?"

I shrugged. "Sure. Why not? It'll give me a chance to test out the armor that was made for me." Both Thor and I looked at Loki, who silently glared before letting out a loud sigh.

"Alright, I'll go."

Thor laughed loudly and clapped a hand down on Loki's shoulder. "As I knew, brother. Don't pretend you were not planning to join. You won the competition only three years ago."

I grinned at the two brothers, hoping this wouldn't turn out terribly.

After all, I wasn't used to fighting warriors.

* * *

"Oh. My. God."

There were literally no words that I could've used to better describe this situation. Unless, perhaps, I had said 'Gods.' I'd never seen this many warriors in Asgard before. The only explanation was that they had been hiding somewhere this whole time.

"Grand, is it not?" Thor said as he smiled sweetly over the crowd. "All these men. All here to fight."

"Please don't tell me that _everyone_ here is participating in the competition."

"Of course not!" Thor said like I was crazy. "There are only twenty who are good enough to enter."

"Oh?" Why was I more worried now?

"Yes." Thor grinned, albeit it seemed a little evil. "Well, we can account for nineteen of those entered. We cannot guarantee your standing in this competition until it is complete, of course."

I snorted a little. "Great. When does it start?"

_That_ got Thor excited. He proceeded to gush about how we'd all be outfitted, then it'd begin. He gave me some pointers but ultimately, he didn't want to lose to me, so he didn't say that much. Thanks, pal.

I glanced at Loki quickly, who didn't even seem to register Thor's behavior, and only shifted into his signature battle gear. He looked down at me a smiled tightly before I got whisked away by some woman, who threw me into a room where Sif was also changing.

She smiled when she saw me. "And now I know I'm not the only woman in this competition." She adjusted a glove and glanced down at my clothing. "You're not wearing that, are you?"

I looked down at my long sleeved shirt and pants, shaking my head. "Of course not." As if on cue, a woman came in with a large package, setting it down on the table.

"Your armor." She said, bowing and backing out of the room.

I nodded my head toward the box. "_That_ is what I'm wearing."

It took a little longer than normal to put on the box's contents, though once everything was on, I had to say I felt a lot safer than I had in my standard leather jacket and pants.

I still donned leather pants, but my body was covered with a thick, long, leather coat, a kevlar-like long sleeve shirt underneath. Detailed, silver, metal armor covered my shoulders and upper arms. I also had my own set of silver metal and leather bracers, something I'd desperately needed when I was back on earth. All in all, I looked like an Asgardian warrior. Sif helped me put my hair back into a ponytail, grinning when she saw me.

"This is much more how I had imagined you than how you appeared when we first met."

I returned the smile through the mirror. "Thanks." I said, pulling on and lacing the boots I'd been given. "We should go out."

Sif nodded and grabbed her sword, looping it into her belt. We exited the room and saw the competition was soon starting, so we hurried up to the line of other warriors fighting, earning a chorus of whistles from the people not fighting. Sif readily told them all off, grumbling silently as we were all paired with someone else for our first match. I managed to get a fearsome looking warrior, who looked like he could eat me for breakfast. Nonetheless, I managed to beat him swiftly. After several more (very quick), rounds, ad endless watching of other competitors, it was down to Thor, Loki, Sif and me. Somehow, I'd even managed to beat Volstagg, who gave a quick grunt before hungrily making his way to the table with food.

I was pinned against Sif for the next round, and I had a feeling this fight would take a little more power than the other ones.

Which is why I may or may not have used some magic. But it worked. Sif was trying to keep up with something moving faster than she could even keep her eye on. Granted it may have been the duplicates I'd made of myself that had confused her. Or maybe it was the thoughts she was hearing that I'd messed with a little. Whatever the reason was, I'd managed to beat her, though she took it fairly gracefully, other than the jab about cheating with magic.

We exited the ring, the crowd roaring loudly as Thor and Loki stepped in, Thor hamming it up a little as he waved to the warriors. I silently watched, curious as to how this would go. The last battle these two had had one on one had ended with Thor getting stabbed in the stomach. The one before that, Loki fell to an unknown place. I couldn't imagine that either was really as pumped up as Thor acted.

I saw Loki take a deep breath as Thor settled down, his eyes closing. He wasn't going to throw this, was he? He wouldn't just let Thor win. That wasn't his personality.

Just before Thor lunged at him, I saw Loki open his eyes, look at me, and wink. That's when I knew he had no intention of losing.

He sidestepped as Thor came crashing down, hitting Mjölnir against the ground. The two battled fiercely, the sound of clashing metal ringing through the air. Thor managed to land a rough hit against Loki's chest with Mjölnir, a loud thud audible to those close enough. Loki stumbled back a few feet, looking up at Thor and narrowing his eyes. He mouthed something and raised his hands into the air, pushing them toward Thor quickly, Thor falling backwards against the ground. Before he could get up, Loki lunged forward and pinned himself on top of Thor, poising a knife ready to stab.

This win was Loki's.

I couldn't help but be proud of the once frowned upon Prince. It may not have been an astounding accomplishment, but I could tell from here that he was proud of himself, and he had every right to be. Thor was a hard person to fight against and win.

Loki helped Thor to his feet, who in turn grinned a little, clapping a hand over Loki's shoulder. The two exited the ring and it was announced that a short break would be taken before the final competition began.

In which I was fighting.

Against Loki.

Great.


	30. Chapter 30

**So I'm trying to crank out chappies for this story because I feel bad about taking so long to update last time. Hopefully, though, I can publish this story maybe once a week, on Sundays (my Sunday, of course), perhaps? I'll try to update more than that, but it I give myself a due by date, I'll likely get it out more frequently than if I said anything goes.**

**And sorry this chappie is a little shorter than usual. I wanted to save the duel for the next chappie, but hopefully y'all will forgive me if I update soon!**

* * *

It was midday and we were sitting alongside the other warriors eating a traditional lunch of meat and bread. The dueling competition was almost over, only the final fight left. I had realized shortly after Loki's victory that that meant we'd be fighting each other, and clearly he realized too, because the lunch had been chock full of short glances and awkward eye contact.

The last time we had fought each other was the day Loki had killed Coulson, and he had knocked me down pretty good. Up until the transformation, I had a nice big scar on my scalp line to prove it.

But neither of us seemed to know what to do. We couldn't give up the fight, no we were both far too stubborn for that, but did we fight? And if we fought, did we go all out and pray we didn't actually cause some damage to each other? It hadn't been an issue I'd been concerned with when I was fighting other warriors, but the thought of purposefully fighting with Loki seemed a little wrong.

I glanced up from my plate again look at Loki, who met my eyes and jerked his head toward the gardens.

He stood first and excused himself from the table and I followed shortly, which didn't go unnoticed by Thor. I could see a twinge of sadness cross through his eyes as he seemed to realize the same thing Loki and I had.

I walked quickly, the sound of noisy eaters fading quickly as I passed the hedges and saw Loki standing and staring at one of the many statues, his hands behind his back.

I walked up behind him and stood next to him, staring at the statue as well.

"Of the time I spent on Midgard, I read your stories." Loki said, his eyes not breaking from the statue. "Some were quite true, yet there were others. Others that never existed, nor have any likelihood of existing."

I could sense a strain in his voice. "Ragnarök?" I asked, knowing what Loki was referring to. It was the ultimate death, according to the humans. The war to end wars.

He nodded silently and quickly, clearing his throat. "By mortal definition, I am to begin the destruction of the worlds."

"Because humans are so smart, right?" I drawled, getting a smirk in return.

"Humans have a tendency to make up for what they lack, and that is our fate according to them."

"Do you really believe it so accurate?" I asked, knowing how much of Norse mythology had been made up by humans who liked good stories. "According to them, Freyja's the only God who survived Ragnarök, and she's already dead."

Loki was silent a moment.

"And like you could actually kill Heimdall." I snorted, earning a glare from Loki.

"I handle my own in battle very well."

"I know." I said gently, knowing he was having a bit of a hard time right now. He'd been through a lot more than anyone should be put through, and it was affecting him. "You're not all bad." I said. "There's actually a fair amount of good in you. Despite what you've done in the past." It took me a moment to actually say it, but I meant it. Yes, Loki had killed Coulson, and yes, he didn't have the best track record, but his intentions, at least most of them, were good. And isn't that what mattered?

His shoulders raised and lowered with a sigh and he turned to face me, making eye contact. "I apologize for my past actions. I truly do. There is nothing I have had more repentance for than my actions on Midgard."

I smiled weakly and nodded. He may have said several months ago that he would've killed Coulson no matter the circumstances, but here, and now, I could see the remorse in his eyes. "It's been almost a year." I said. "We're different now. Hell, I never thought I'd be a God, about to fight Surt, and be standing next to you all the while." I saw something I couldn't place flash through his eyes and I did my best to wrap my hand around his, setting my other hand on top. "Nothing bad is going to happen." I said. "I mean, nothing ultimately bad. I trust you, and I know nothing is going to go wrong." I could still see worry in his eyes.

"And what of today?" He asked, bringing to light the question we both had been concerned with. "I cannot just fight y-"

"Yes you can." I said quickly. I didn't want things to be strained because of something that happened so long ago. "I mean, really. Are we not going to give them a show?" I gestured to the warriors out of sight from where we stood. "They're expecting a good competition, and so am I." I smirked. "Unless you're just too scared I'll beat you, what with my amazing skills now."

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Is that what you would call them? I understand your knowledge has expanded vastly since your transformation, but surely you do not believe them better than I."

I chuckled. "That's a lot of talk." I said. "Hopefully you can back it up with proof."

"It would be my pleasure." He said, doing his best to smile back, though it was clearly a little strained.

We both heard the bell announcing the lunch was over and it was time for the final competition to begin.

"Well?" Loki asked as if asking for permission to head back.

"In a second." I responded, using his hand I was already holding to stabilize myself as I stood on the ledge around the statue. I glanced around quickly and looked at Loki, who was at eye level with me now. He looked at me quizzically and I pressed my lips against his, lingering for a moment.

"There's a lot of things I can forgive, Loki, but I can't forgive you if you go easy on me today."

I saw him glance down and look back at me, smirking. "I wouldn't dare dream of it."

I nodded. "Good. Then I believe we're ready." I hopped down and went to leave when Loki pulled me back by my hand, pressing a quick kiss against my lips.

"I expect the same in return." He breathed quietly, his breath tickling my face.

He silently ran his thumb across my cheek, smirking as I silently nodded, dumbfounded.

"Then we can return now." He let go of my hand and passed me, heading back to the warriors.

_That sneaky_- I'd have to get him back for that someday.

And perhaps today was that day.


	31. Chapter 31

**Asjdoisvoikasuvjeofudsvoiah. So I'm what I would consider a fairly "shy" and/or "pure" writer, so this chappie was little interesting to write. As in "neverwrittenthisbefore" kind of writing. It's probably terribly written, and difficult to read, but hopefully you guys overlook that when reading the end of this chappie. Or at least give me some guidance if it's absolutely unbearable. **

**So fair warning, implication of the nasty at the end of this chappie. Now you know. **

**And hopefully I can keep up this updating every Sunday thing. **

* * *

So now everyone was very clearly intrigued. I didn't really blame them, either. Even I was curious as to how this would go down.

Somebody announced the start of the duel, and both Loki and I stayed against the outer part of the ring. Clearly neither of us were on the offensive.

_You're going to have to do better than that to beat me._

I stood still for a moment, realizing I'd heard Loki in my head. Well that was trippy.

_Nice party trick._ I replied, smirking as much as Loki when he realized I too could force myself into someone else's mind.

_This could be a tremendous bore if neither one of us makes a move_. He said standing up from his slight crouch. He was probably right. To everyone else, we probably looked like two crazy people who were just standing across from each other, waiting.

I shrugged and nodded. _Alright_. With that I materialized my staff, swinging it widely and projecting a fairly harmless spell at Loki.

He lifted a hand and absorbed the power, throwing it back at me quickly.

_What is this, a game of tennis?_ I asked as I dodged, letting the spell pass by me and hit some unlucky man.

Loki laughed and raised a hand to throw a spell back at me. _If it is, then I believe the score would be fifteen love._

I pushed his spell to the side and raised my eyebrows. _So that's how we're playing it then? First to four points wins._

_Deal._

With that, my competitive side took over and I raced low and quickly across the ring, aiming a temporary paralysis spell directly at Loki. He smirked and rolled out of the way, pinning me up against the edge of the ring.

_It's thirty love now, yes?_

I growled and snaked out of his grip, jabbing the butt of my staff into his stomach. He groaned a little and I took the opportunity to shove him to the ground, putting a foot against his chest.

_Fifteen thirty._

He smiled a little and grabbed my foot, ice forming its way around my boot and up my leg a little. Loki dropped my foot off his chest and stood, crossing the ring swiftly so we were at least ten feet apart.

I struggled for a moment to free my foot and ultimately hit it sharply once with my staff, the ice cracking and breaking away quickly.

I glared up at Loki and he briefly stuck his tongue out, raising his eyebrows.

After several failed attempts on both parts to actually land a spell on the other, we resorted to non magical fighting, Loki landing a hit on me quickly.

_That would be forty fifteen now. One more and I win._

I pulled out some tricks I'd learned at SHIELD, playing on Loki's blind spots as I swung my staff low and knocked him off of his feet. He rolled onto his back and I pushed my forearm against his chest heavily, hoping I'd be able to push with enough weight to keep him down.

_Thirty forty. Don't get too cocky._

_I would not imagine it any other way._

I felt something hook around one of my legs and before I could react, I was on my back, arms pinned by the sides of my head.

I glared up at Loki, both of us breathing heavily.

"I believe this is where I say game, set, match." There was a grin plastered across his face.

I sneered as someone announced that Loki was the winner and he stood up, offering a hand to me. Being a sore loser, I denied and stood up on my own, nearly refusing to shake hands, which I did begrudgingly. I wasn't a good loser.

The crowd cheered loudly for Loki, who couldn't help but grin. Yeah, I'd say he was proud. Who wouldn't be? But it was that same damn pride that caused me to be so sour.

I swallowed my pride long enough to shake hands with Loki, receiving a congratulatory clap on the back from Sif.  
"That was an interesting duel, to say the least." She said, laughing a little. "It has been quite long since I have seen Loki fight another sorcerer."

I nodded and smiled tightly in response. "It's definitely a lot different from fighting a warrior, I'll give you that."

There were many congratulations going around and I quietly conversed with those who spoke to me, waiting for this event to be over. I mean, sure I'd beaten a bunch of really good warriors, including Sif for God's sake, but I hadn't beaten someone of my skill, which means I wasn't as good as Freyja had been.

It was announced that the feast would start in several hours, so we started to head back to the palace, Thor and Fandral dragging Loki off to god knows where.

Sif linked her arm with mine and pulled me to my room, where she helped me get out of the stiff armor, handing me a heap of silvery fabric. I gave her a questioning look and she smiled knowingly.

"You should wear this. It is a beautiful gown that will surely draw the eye of many suitors."

I gaped and sputtered a moment, shifting my eyes from Sif to the dress in my arms.

"Oh come on." She said. "The others may be blind, but I noticed your...interactions with a certain Prince."

This was surprising. We'd been so quiet about it, or at least I had thought. "H-how-"

"I may be a warrior, Emmeline, but first and foremost, I am a woman. Do not concern yourself too much. I do not plan to tell anyone. I just warn you. In a time of war, there is a chance we will lose our men. I trust that we will not lose someone as capable as Loki, but understand that there is the risk that you will never see him again."

I silently nodded. The thought had crossed my mind many times, given both Loki and I were working to keep the other from joining the war. It was still something that formed a pit in my stomach when I thought about it.

Sif nodded and left to get ready herself, leaving me alone. I wasn't alone for long, however, because a few women came in to help me get ready, slipping me into the dress and doing my hair.

I was silent all the while, a thicker knot tying in my stomach. It really was here. It wasn't just soon, or in a few weeks. It was here faster than I had anticipated, and even though I'd felt so strong about it earlier today, I was terrified.  
It was possible that we would lose. We may even win, but surely not everyone would get away. That was just the fact of it.

_What if I lost Loki? What if despite his abilities, and his strength, he..._

No. I couldn't think like that. We would win. There would be no actual reason to worry.

I did my best to push the thoughts out of my head and made my way toward the banquet hall, though they never really went away.

* * *

The dinner was beginning to dwindle down as Odin and Frigga left, many of the Gods leaving as well. The younger "generation" lounged for quite a long while, Volstagg getting into an eating competition with several other larger than life men.

I however, with a lot on my mind, opted out of playing a drinking game and instead said my goodbyes, taking the long way back to my room. I wasn't quite ready for sleep yet. I hesitated as I passed Loki's door. Surely he was still at the dinner. There's no way he would be in his room already. After all, he was the star for winning the dueling competition. It was highly unlikely he'd actually be in his room.

"Are you waiting for an invitation? Knock."

I jumped in my skin, clutching a hand to my chest as I turned around to face the owner of the voice. I craned my neck up to see Loki hovering, smirking a little.

"Thanks for giving me a slight heart attack. And I wasn't waiting for an invitation. I was just going to my room."

Loki raised his eyebrows. "To your room. Which is in the east wing of the palace. And my room is in the west."

I stuttered a moment. "I-I was going for a walk before going to my room. Is that a crime?"

He eyed me up and down. "In that attire, I believe you would draw much attention to yourself."

"Sif loaned it to me. I only wore it because she suggested it and I didn't really care what I wore." I silently shifted the straps of the dress so it raisd a little in front. It wasn't really a provocative dress. I mean, sure it displayed a little cleavage, but at least it didn't have a corset or a petticoat.

"Right." Loki nodded unbelievingly.

"Right. Well, I'm going to go to bed now. Goodnight." I turned to leave and felt a hand snake around my waist, Loki pulling my back against his chest.

"The more you speak," he said quietly, "the more I imagine you are delaying."

Damn. I hadn't really had any intentions when I'd wandered down here, but I had been delaying. The thought of having to go to bed now, while my mind was still running full speed was painful.

"And?" I asked. "Are you going to tell me a story or something?"

The door to Loki's room was quickly opened and Loki pulled me in, shutting the door behind us. He let go of my waist and crossed the room swiftly, sitting on one of the couches.

"I would much rather learn of what is keeping you awake."

This again? "I'd really rather not talk about it."

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows. "Is it that terrible?"

I shook my head, not moving from my spot near the door. "Something that's not worth thinking about." Definitely not worth thinking about.

But of course, I started thinking about it. _Defeat, loss, death._

"Emmeline." I brought my attention back to where I was now, making eye contact with Loki as he stood in front of me worriedly.

"It's fine." I said. "Really." I reflexively wrapped my arms around his back, pressing myself tightly against him, trying to get a better grip. _This may be the last time I can hug him_. Stop. "Let's just not talk about it." My voice was muffled in his chest.

I felt him sigh and wrap his arms around me, resting his chin on the top of my head. "Is this about today's duel?"

"What?" I pulled my head out of his chest and looked up at him. "Of course not. I mean, sure, I'm not great at losing, but that wouldn't be bothering me still."

"Would you like to tell me then?" He watched me expectantly. _This might be the last time we could share our thoughts._

"No. No, I'm fine. Thanks. Let's just relax for a little, alright?" I dragged him over to one of the couches and sat down, Loki doing the same, albeit watching me curiously.

_This could be the last time we could just be together. Just sitting and talking. _

_And I didn't want to waste it._

I gathered up every ounce of courage I had and put my hands around Loki's neck, kissing him fiercely. I could feel the surprise emanate through his lips, and it didn't stop, even as I pulled away for a breath. He took my hands in his, pulling them away from his neck.

"Emmeline, what are you doing? You are acting very odd."

"No I'm not." I responded quickly, making a move to kiss him again, though he stood quickly, looking down at me.

"Emmeline, I do not know what is wrong, but you are starting to worry me." He strode quickly to the door, putting his hand on the handle. "I think you should sleep, perhaps."

"Wh-what? Are you serious? I come into your room and kiss you, and you're telling me to go to bed?"

"I believe it best for you to leave now." He was quiet.

Self consciousness got the best of me. "Is it me? Is this why you'd been avoiding me for so long? Did I do something, or-"

He shook his head. "I do not mean to offend you, but I fear I couldn't control myself if we were to- never mind."

I realized in that moment that this wasn't about me offending him, or causing an issue. Loki was feeling the same way I did, and he worried I didn't share the feeling.

"You know, it's alright." I said, standing. "I mean, who's to say we'd need to stop?"

I watched silently as something flickered through his eyes, but he didn't make any move.

Taking a deep breath and ignoring my racing heart, I unzipped the back of my dress, sliding it off my shoulders and letting it fall to the ground, never breaking eye contact with Loki.

I saw something different flicker through his eyes this time, and I knew he felt the same way.

Even though we both knew that in only a day we would be leaving for war, and there were things we should've been doing instead, we just wanted to be together.

Even if it was only for a short time.


End file.
